Southern Loyalties
by missy7293
Summary: Daryl and Merle are living in Georgia in 1938. The World is on the brink of WWII and racial tensions are high. Daryl is a broken man trying to get his life together and He and Merle decide to stand for what is right. Along the way Daryl meets a woman who realizes just how much he is hurting and she helps to put him back together again. Completely AU- No walkers.
1. Chapter 1

**Authors Note:**

 **This story takes place during a dark time in American history. It deals with racial attitudes in the South that some might deem as offensive. By no means am I a racist and I wish not to offend anyone, but there are some words and terminology in this story that is offensive, but it is only to keep the story true to the times. Good will win out and I apologize in advance for anything that is hurtful.**

 **August 1938**

Daryl looked down at the laceration on his hand and new he finally needed to head to town to see the doc. He had hoped it would heal on his own, but by the slight fever he had been running for the past two days, and the drainage seeping from the fiery red wound on his hand, he figured it wasn't going to heal on it's own. Sweat was pouring down his face as he worked on the blue tractor in front of him in the scorching Georgia heat and he was finding it difficult to concentrate.

"Jess, I gotta go into town to see the doc." Daryl yelled to the older man working in the field not thirty feet away. Jess was Daryl's uncle, and along with his father and Merle, they ran a successful, but modest small farm. It was by no means a lucrative operation like their neighbor, Hershel Greene, but it was enough to put food on the table and a roof over their heads with a little left over.

"Told ya that two days ago Daryl when you sliced it open. Wish you would have listened to me then." Uncle Jess said, a bit frustrated at his nephew.

"Didn't think it would get this bad, besides that you know I can't exactly go into to town and have Dr. Blake look at it after what happened with Merle." Daryl said. Dr. Philip Blake was a third generation doctor in the town of Holly Springs, GA. Blake was about Merle's age and his Grandfather had not only been Holly Springs first doctor, but had also served as a Colonel for the confederacy in the war of Northern Aggression. When Sherman made his march through Georgia, he burned Canton, the next town over and was headed to Holly Springs, but forces led by Colonel Blake turned away the Yankees, and the town survived. His legacy was still heralded even to this day. The Blake family owned over half the town and his wife Andrea was one of the most beautiful women in Cherokee County. She was also one of the biggest bitches Daryl had ever met. She came from some Hoity Toity family in Atlanta and felt like everyone in their small town owed her a debt of gratitude just to be blessed by her presence.

That was until she came up against Merle at the Founder's day celebration. Merle had gone over to speak to the woman, after drinking quite a bit of liquid courage, and Merle being Merle, said quite a few derogatory things to the woman. Most women would have run from Merle, face low and head spinning with his crudeness, but instead, Ms. Blake took it upon herself to strike him in the face, catching him off guard and knocking him to the ground.

"You fucking Cunt." Merle shouted out loudly, drawing the attention of just about everyone attending the celebration, and most importantly, Dr. Blake.

He immediately rushed to his wife's side and grabbed Merle by the shirt, staring him directly in the eyes (Something no one ever dared to do before in the past).

"Apologize right now." Blake barked out.

"To what, I don't see nothing but a whore and a piece of shit in a suite in front of me." Merle said, this time inciting Blake to jerk Merle forward.

In a snarling voice Blake publicly chastised Merle "Calling you white trash would be an insult to trash…your worse than trash, you and your family are like cockroaches…vile creatures that everyone avoids. You disgust me." Then Blake shoved Merle to the ground. But Merle being Merle, he couldn't let this lie. Instead, he jumped up and tackled Blake and began to beat the Doc. If it hadn't been for Sheriff Grimes and Deputy Walsh, Merle would probably be rotting in the Georgia State Penitentiary waiting to be hung for murder, but instead the Sheriff and Deputy managed to secure Merle and let him sleep off his drunkenness in the jail for the night.

Daryl could count on one hand the number of times he actually left the farm and went to the Doc to get treatment, but he knew this wound was bad and he couldn't risk his hand getting worse. Being a farmer meant a lot of hard work and the crops would be coming out of the field in a few weeks. They had equipment to repair and fifty acres of Cotton to harvest. He knew Uncle Jess and Merle would bust their ass to help, but they could never rely on his worthless father (which was a shame because the man was a good farmer when he wanted to be). Fifty acres was almost too much for four men to handle, and with Will's unreliability, Daryl wasn't sure if they were going to have to hire someone to help out with the harvesting. There wasn't much money set aside for the extra laborers, but if it meant getting the crops out of the field in time, then they might have too. That of course opened up an entirely different can of worms. Will refused to let any of the black field hands work on the farm, and that meant they would have to go to Canton to hire out labor, which would cost twice as much. Daryl found it ironic that his drunk of a father would dare to judge anyone based on the color of their skin, when the old man had been found drunk and passed out in his own piss and filth in a ditch on more than one occasion. Daryl couldn't stand a hypocrite and his father was one the biggest one that he knew.

There was a time when the Dixon family had been respected in these parts, but Will and even his Uncle Jess had done a lot to tarnish the family reputation. Will had already started his wild ways when he was a teenager. His parents, Earl and Dora Dixon, had done everything in their power to curve their eldest son's behavior. They had taken him to church, and Earl had taken the time to teach him how to run the farm, but Will wanted no part of it. At sixteen years old Will had been attending the local cotton festival and had spotted fourteen year old Nellie Faye Harper and had been immediately smitten with the girl. She was the Cotton Queen that year and Will had never seen anyone with eyes that blue and hair that golden. There was no denying that Will himself was a handsome man and could charm even the most skeptical of people. Within a week he was spending all his time at the Harper farm working hard to win the young girl's affection.

Their relationship blossomed and Nellie Faye was in love with the handsome older boy. Somehow, Will managed to talk the young girl out of her virtue, and within two months Nellie Faye was in the family way. When she told him, Will left and had no more plans to return to Nellie or her family farm. He wasn't ready to be a father and the way he saw it, it was her problem, not his.

It wasn't his problem until Cole Harper showed up at the Dixon farm armed with his shot gun and anger at Will for what he had done to his daughter. Earl and Dora were mortified at what their son had done to the sweet girl. Before the sun rose the next day Nellie Faye and Will were at the Justice of the Peace's house with both sets of parents, getting hitched in the truest sense of a Southern Shotgun Wedding.

Earl helped Will build a little three room cabin on the outskirts of the property, and it seemed that Will was finally taking responsibility for what he had done. He helped his father out on the farm and began to act like a man that cared about his wife and unborn child. Nellie and Will seemed to be happy, and their first son was born shortly before Christmas in 1891. Will was a proud papa and he was sure to have his wife and son at Church every Sunday so he could show off his little family. Things went well for young Dixons until Will started spending time away from the farm in the local bars in town. It started out as a once a month excursion and Nellie Faye didn't mind too much, knowing men still needed a little time to themselves so they could unwind. But once a month drinking soon became once a week and once a week became an every day event.

Will's tender and loving side was completely gone, and any time that Nellie would bring it up, she would either get beaten physically, or verbally assaulted. Merle was almost seven and rarely ever saw his father sober when Nellie found out she was expecting again. More than anything she wanted to leave, but her parents were adamant that she stay with her husband and make the marriage work regardless of how miserable she was. So at twenty-three years old she now found herself the mother of two small boys without anyone to help. Will rarely provided for them financially, and Earl and Dora did what they could to help out, but the crops were lean and the price of cotton had plummeted, making times tough for everyone.

As hard as it was raising her two boys, Nellie Faye did her best to be both mother and father to her sons. Earl would take Merle hunting and Daryl begged to go as soon as he was able to walk and talk. Earl was the only fatherly influence her sons received since Will rarely made his way to the house much anymore. He was out drinking with his buddies, gambling away any wages he earned, or carousing with loose women that were more than willing to take a turn at the handsome man. Nellie wasn't oblivious of her husband's actions, but there just wasn't much she could do. To be honest, she was thankful the abusive man rarely showed his face around the house anymore. At least her boys were safe from his drunken tirades and she didn't have to deal with his drunken and aggressive fumblings when he came to their bed.

One summer morning when Daryl was four and Merle was twelve, Nellie decided to take the boys on a picnic in the woods. She had actually wanted to take the boys to town to get them new shoes and maybe some ice cream, but she didn't even have a nickel to her name to buy the ice cream. Instead they went to a spot down by the creek and enjoyed their lunch of left over squirrel and dumplings and when they were done she let the boys play in the water and then they picked blueberries on their way back home. Nellie was starting to feel poorly by the time that they got back to the cabin, but she pushed herself to make some sweetened cream and served it on top of the blueberries for the boys to enjoy. Seeing the smiles on her son's faces gave her more joy than anything else did in her world. That night she tucked the boys into their beds and gave them each a gentle kiss on their cheeks, Merle complaining that he "didn't need to be babied," causing Nellie to let out a little laugh.

Daryl awoke first the next morning and was confused when his mother wasn't in the kitchen like she had been every morning before. He went into her room and found her lying on the floor in a heap. Immediately the four-year-old Daryl called for Merle and the two young boys managed to get their mother back up on the bed. Merle gave Daryl strict instructions for him to stay by their ailing mother's side while he ran to his grandparent's house to get help. Daryl climbed up on the bed and curled into his mother's side. Heat was radiating off of her body like nothing he had ever felt before and he knew something was extremely wrong with her. He grabbed his mother's hand and held onto it with everything he had in his little body.

Earl and Dora arrived shortly thereafter with Merle, and Earl took the horse and buggy and made his way into town to retrieve Dr. Randolph Blake (Philip Blake's father.) It didn't take long for Dr. Blake to determine that Nellie's appendix had burst and that she was now suffering from septic shock. She was terminal and all they could do was make the woman comfortable in her last few moments left here on earth. Nellie was in and out of consciousness during her last few hours and in a final moment of lucidity she pulled her boys close to her and gave them each one last kiss before she succumbed to the sickness that took her away.

When Nellie passed, Daryl refused to let his mother go so they could prepare the body for burial. Nellie's own parents refused to have anything to do with their daughter or their grandson's, saying that they believed Nellie Faye received God's judgement for getting pregnant outside the confines of marriage. Earl and Dora's heart broke for their grandson's, but they both agreed that the boys would be better off not interacting with Nellie's family. They buried Nellie on the family farm, the sounds of Daryl's cries echoing throughout the area as they placed Nellie in the ground. The only thing that comforted the small boy was his brother's protective arms. From that day on Daryl remained a painfully shy child and never seemed to really come out of his emotionally protective shell.

After Nellie passed, Earl did all he could to try to find Will, and after a few days he found his drunken son in a brothel on the outskirts of town and informed him of what had happened to his wife. Earl wasn't sure, but he thought for a moment that he saw a glimpse of regret in his son's eyes.

Will returned home, but it didn't take long for him to start abusing his sons on a regular basis. As the boys got older they lost the last bit of security in their lives when Earl and Dora both contracted Yellow fever and died. Will moved him and the boys into his parent's house and Jess took off to head out west and explore the country. Merle started getting in more and more trouble, and between stints in jail, and days he was just gone, that left Daryl as Will's sole target of violence. Will left numerous scars and injuries on his youngest son, yet somehow Daryl managed to get through his schooling, and miraculously graduate early. It turned out that one of the things Daryl excelled in was learning. Maybe all the years of needing to be acutely aware of his father's mood swings left Daryl with the skill of being able to process information better than most.

When Daryl was seventeen the Great War was raging in Europe and the United States had taken a stance to join in the battle. Merle looked at joining the military as way to get out of the hell he and Daryl lived in and convinced Daryl that this was the honorable thing to do. Plus he added "women love a man in uniform baby brother…when we come back we will have our pick of any woman around here we want and we can even maybe take in a bit of the local cuisine over in Europe." Daryl, as usual, followed his brother's cue and lied about his age, joining up at barely seventeen years old. They went through military training for three months at Camp Gordon in Chamblee, Georgia then took to the sea for a two- week trip from Savannah to France. While training at Camp Gordon, Merle and Daryl had become close with three brothers from Augusta by the name of James, Louis, and Charlie McDonnell. James was the youngest at twenty-four years of age, and Charlie was the oldest at twenty-eight. Merle and Louis were both twenty-five and they all called Daryl "baby boy" as he had yet to turn eighteen.

The camaraderie between the men was strong and for the first time in Daryl's life, he felt accepted and cared for by his brother's in arms. The men fought strong, celebrated strong, and lived life to the fullest during their time together. When they finally arrived in France Daryl was sure they were all gonna get locked up after one particularly wild night out on the town. Merle had been right about women being excited about men in uniform. Daryl had his virginity taken from him by a beautiful older French woman that the men met in one of the clubs close to the military base. It was an awkward encounter for Daryl, but he wouldn't have traded it for anything. His shyness had always left him a bit handicapped when it came to women, and he guessed the amount of alcohol Merle and the McDonnell brothers had plied him with had a lot to do with his boldness regarding the events of the evening.

Within a week after arriving in France the five-some was given their orders and they would be participating in an offensive in the town of Cantigny, France. They were sent to the battlefield and found themselves ensconced in the trenches in the hills of France. Death, mortars, rain, mud, and gun shots peppered at the men for three days until Daryl and three brothers were given orders to take the offensive against the German troops while Merle was to provide sniper cover. Daryl and the brothers' belly crawled across the battlefield towards the menacing German trenches, taking fire but avoiding anything more serious than dirt being thrown up at them.

They had made it three quarters of the way across the field when Daryl heard a click and before he could react, his ears were ringing and he found himself covered in blood, brain, and various body parts of the McDonnell boys. The brothers whom had been crawling beside him just a few seconds earlier were no longer among the living. Louis had inadvertently snagged a trip wire, triggering a land mine that exploded and killed the three brothers immediately. Daryl had been on the outer left flank, and somehow had managed to avoid most of the blast. He remained in shock for a moment, unable to move, until he heard the unmistakable sounds of Merle's voice calling for him. Merle had abandoned his post when he saw what happened and was running fully upright across the battlefield towards his baby brother.

When he reached Daryl, Daryl stood up and ignored the chaos ensuing around him. He had a look in his eyes like Merle had never seen, and before Merle could stop him, Daryl was now running full speed directly into the line of fire towards the German's entrenched twenty-yards ahead of him. By now other troops were providing cover for both Daryl and Merle, and the two brothers were running forward towards the enemy. If by some miracle, they both made it into enemy territory unscathed. Merle began firing his machine gun, taking out men left and right and Daryl pulled out his gun and began to match Merle's tenacity. Daryl was in a blinding rage and had turned into a killing machine, and Merle was simply in self-preservation mode. It was all over in the blink of an eye when Merle realized he and Daryl had killed almost twenty men and opened up a line that allowed the Infantry division to move through and push back the Germans.

When it was all said and done Daryl and Merle had both been wounded without realizing it. Merle had taken a gunshot to the shoulder and Daryl had a bayonet stuck in his left side. Both brothers collapsed in a heap from their injuries and exhaustion and were carried from the battlefield to a medical facility set up a few miles away. Their wounds were treated, and the Dixon's would live to see another day, but a part of Daryl died out there on that battlefield. He had lost the first individuals outside of Merle that he was close too in his not quite an adult life.

For their heroic actions at the Battle of Cantigny Merle and Daryl were awarded the Silver Stars for gallantry on the battlefield. They were sent home to Georgia as heroes, and while Merle soaked in the attention, Daryl pulled away from it. Night after night Daryl dreamed about the events of that day and other than working on the farm he became pretty much a recluse. Occasionally Merle would convince Daryl to leave the farm and go out for a night on the town, but that usually resulted in Daryl drinking too much or a rare fumble with some whore in the backseat of car. Daryl just barely managed to get through each day. He rarely slept more than a few hours at night, and those hours he did sleep were continually filled with night terrors.

Daryl leaving the confines of the farm and heading into town to seek medical treatment was actually a rarity for the man. Daryl didn't leave the farm much unless it was to run an errand related to the farm, or to enjoy the solitude of hunting in the forest or the beauty of the nature surrounding them in the mountains of Georgia. Daryl was not a people person, and for the most part the people of Holly Springs went out of their way to avoid him. Daryl's introverted lifestyle was well known and there had even been rumors in town that Daryl was mentally unbalanced. Of course it wasn't true, but Daryl Dixon never really left the battlefield in France, even twenty years later he re-lived those events of that day everyday. He lived in his own personal hell and it never seemed to end.

Daryl was getting in the truck, dreading heading into to town when Merle hollered at him "Jess said you were going into to town to get your hand looked at. You going to see Blake?"

"Fuck no, you pretty much ruined that didn't ya. I reckon I'm gonna see the new doc in town…please tell me you ain't done something to piss her off too?" Daryl asked in a frustrated voice.

"Not yet, but you know she treats the Darkies around here too…not to mention she is a woman" Merle said in a warning voice.

"And why should that matter to ya? You think I don't know about you heading out to the Juke joints on the East Side of town on Saturday nights? I thought you were better than the old man was. And I don't care if she is a woman or a giraffe…I need a doc for this. Ain't like I'm gonna get married or something to her." Daryl said in a challenging voice showing his brother his hand.

"Just wanted you to know is all. Ain't making no judgements baby brother." Merle said. Merle knew Daryl held no judgement against anyone white or black, unless they had given Daryl a reason to do so. Merle really didn't hold his father's racist beliefs either, but growing up in the rural south he did sometimes make offensive statements. However, there were more than a few times Merle had taken comfort from some of the dark skinned women down in East Holly Springs. It wasn't something he bragged about, knowing full well if Will found out there would be hell to pay, but Daryl knew and never judged him for it.

"I'll be back later…if Pa is getting on your nerves you can stay down at the cabin with me." Daryl told his older brother. Tension between Daryl and his father had gotten so bad that Daryl took it upon himself to fix up his parent's old cabin and moved in a few years back. It wasn't anything fancy, but it was clean, comfortable, and his. He had running water, indoor plumbing, and electricity and he couldn't ask for more. He kept the guestroom ready for Merle any time he needed to get away from their daddy and about once a month Merle would come stay for a few days. Normally Merle would stay in the main house with Will just to make sure the man didn't choke on his own vomit or burn the place down.

Daryl drove into town and pulled up in front of the Old Blake place. The new doc had purchased it and Daryl had to admit, she had done a lot to fix up the old house. For several years the house had sat in disrepair after Philip had built him a mansion in the center of town. The faded paint had been replaced with bright yellow with white trim, and the old wrap around porch had been repaired and looked like it used to when Daryl was a young child. The flower beds were well kept and their was a newer model blue Ford truck parked out to the side of the house.

Daryl bit his lip out of nervousness and made his way to the attached office to the left of the main portion of the house. He slowly entered, his nerves getting the best of him. He was pleasantly surprised to be greeted by a young woman with a bright smile. She was tall for a woman, and had hair and eyes as dark as chocolate. Her lips were ruby red, her skin was like porcelain, and she wore a red collared shirt with white polka dots and a fitted long tan skirt that hit the back of her calves. Over her clothing she wore a bright white apron and her hair was pulled back in a red snood. On a good day Daryl would hardly speak, but seeing the attractive doctor left him with sweaty palms and the inability to look up from the floor.

"Hi, can I help you?" She asked in a strong southern accent. It surprised Daryl. He assumed she must have come from somewhere up North, but there was no mistaking the Georgia accent.

"I hurt my hand and I need ya to take a look at it." He managed to mumble out, still not looking her in the eye.

"Well I'm Dr. Alyssa Cambridge and I will be glad to look at it." She said.

"How much does a visit cost?" Daryl asked softly.

"If you can't afford the visit we can work out something." She said sweetly.

"Didn't say I couldn't afford it, just needed to know if I had to go to the bank to get more cash. How much?" Daryl replied a bit gruffer than he intended.

"I charge three dollars." She replied once again in a sweet voice.

"Okay. Names Daryl, Daryl Dixon." Daryl said, finally looking up to make awkward eye contact.

"So what brings you here Mr. Dixon?" Alyssa asked the obviously nervous man. She prayed it wasn't something involving his personal parts, but by the way he was acting she couldn't be sure.

Daryl pulled his hand out of his pocket and thrust it forward towards the doctor "Cut my hand working on a tractor and it's in pretty bad shape." He told her.

"Well follow me over here to the exam area and let me check it out for you." She said warmly. Daryl had to admit she had a much better bedside manner than Blake did on his best days. She led him to the corner of the office and pulled back a curtain revealing a cot and a chair. She directed Daryl to sit down on the cot and she began to ask him questions as she pulled out a pad of paper and a pen.

"Your date of birth?" She asked first.

"July second, nineteen hundred." He told her.

"Are you suffering from any ailments other than the hand?" She inquired.

Daryl thought to himself for a second "I don't sleep too good at night, but that ain't new."

She nodded and jotted down the information "When did you injure your hand?"

"Two days ago." He replied, getting a bit annoyed at the questions. Alyssa could sense his impatience.

"Just a couple more questions Daryl. Have you had any other injuries in the past?"

"Was wounded in the Great War, took a bayonet in the gut, but it didn't hit any major organs. A few broken bones and lacerations, and I got a bad fever when I was twelve." He told her.

"You fought in the War? You couldn't have been any more than eighteen?" She said almost in shock.

"Yes Ma'am, I was actually seventeen. Lied about my age and joined up with my older brother." He said, surprised he had volunteered the information. Then he realized she was a doctor and she probably needed to know this information in case she found something out of the normal with his health. He knew that other than his fucked up head, he was a healthy man.

"The lacerations and broken bones, were they from an accident?" She asked.

"No." Daryl said quietly, not volunteering any further information. He wasn't going to elaborate on anything unless she asked.

…

Alyssa had been surprised when she looked up to see the blue eyed man walking into her office. He was soft spoken and struggled to make eye contact, but she assumed he was just bashful. She had a steady stream of patients in the two months she had her practice open, but most of them were unable to pay for their visits at they time then received treatment and she had a lot of them on payment plans. Dr. Blake had the majority of the wealthier residents in Holly Springs, and she wasn't really surprised by that. Blake was a third generation doctor, and she had found out through the grapevine that he didn't go out of his way to help take care of those less fortunate in town. He specifically avoided anyone with dark skin.

Alyssa was no stranger to bigotry, she had grown up just outside of Atlanta and had been exposed to it all her life, but that didn't mean she agreed with it. She had initially been practicing medicine in Canton, and heard that the only medically trained person willing to take care of the poverty stricken in town had a propensity for alcoholism. That was when she made up her mind to move to Holly Springs and set up her own practice. Ironically, the only home available for her was Dr. Blake's old family home that he deemed too insignificant to take care of anymore. Alyssa had no family left, and was surprised to find out that her Mother's brother, her uncle, had passed away as a "confirmed bachelor" and left her his estate. It was ten thousand dollars and enough to purchase the house, a truck, and medical equipment she would need to take care of her patients. The remaining amount was put into savings and left there in case times got lean. She knew she wouldn't be welcomed with open arms in the small tight knit community, but there were many that desperately needed a reliable doctor, and she was ready to take on the challenge.

Alyssa charged her patients three dollars a visit, while Dr. Blake charged five dollars. She also accepted goods such as food, seed, or labor in exchange for payment if needed. She was finally beginning to grow her practice, but it was slow going.

This man in her office now didn't seem to fit into any of the categories her other patients fell into. Besides being extremely shy, he seemed to be the type that would prefer to see Dr. Blake. She wasn't complaining by any means, just surprised. When he finally was able to hold eye contact with her, she almost gasped at the intensity that they held. Those eyes were fierce, almost like those of a wolf. His shoulders were strong and his body was lean and fit. There was no doubt that he was no stranger to hard physical labor. Based on his tan skin, she assumed he was a farmer. His hair was long, and she figured he was too busy either managing his farm or taking care of his family to take the time to get it trimmed, unlike his facial hair that was trimmed neatly. He had on his work boots, tan work pants, and a plaid shirt over an undershirt. To be honest, she found the man very handsome in his own rugged way. She briefly blushed as she admired him, but quickly pushed it out of her mind.

As she continued to ask him questions, she could tell he was not comfortable talking much about himself. When she asked him about his previous injuries she was surprised to find out that he had fought in the Great War at such a young age. He didn't got into detail regarding his broken bones or lacerations, and at first she just assumed it was some sort of farm accident, but when she asked, she saw the man stiffen up and he simply responded with a "no" when she asked. She could tell there was more to the story, but she didn't need to know at this moment, so she decided not to press the issue.

"Are you married or do you have children?" She asked.

Daryl let out a small laugh "No."

"Okay, let's take a look at that hand." She said as she reached out and began to pull the dirty bandage off the wound. Immediately she could tell it was badly infected and would need to be drained and cleaned. She reached up to feel his forehead and it felt warm.

"Before I clean your wound I want to check your temperature, listen to your heart, and check your blood pressure. Would you be OK removing your over shirt?" She asked him.

Daryl nodded, reluctant to take off his shirt and leaving him only in a thin undershirt. She would be able to see some of the damage his father had left on his body, but she didn't seem like the type that would judge him for it. He took the shirt off and she continued to exam him while placing the thermometer in his mouth.

"Your blood pressure is good, but your heart is racing. I also am picking up a bit of an abnormal beat. Did you say you had a fever when you were younger? Were you ever diagnosed?" She asked.

"No, was sick real bad for about ten days, and then I started getting better. My father didn't believe in doctors so I had to just go through it." He told her.

"Do you ever find yourself getting short of breath doing simple tasks?" She asked.

Daryl though about what she was asking, and nodded his head in affirmation.

"I'd like to check on you periodically and continue to monitor your heart. You could have had Rheumatic fever and that could have damaged your heart without you knowing it. You are also running a fever, but I guess you suspected that." She informed him.

Daryl shook his head and let out a breath. This wasn't something he wanted to hear. He had read about Rheumatic fever and knew what it could do to the body. He wished he had known what had caused his sickness back then, but Merle was gone and Will hadn't bothered to get Daryl any type of medical help. Daryl survived, but he never did feel like he fully recovered.

The young doctor noticed the scars that his undershirt didn't cover, and by connecting the dots, she assumed Daryl had a less than ideal childhood. Evidence of abuse was littered all over his body, and she assumed that his bashfulness might also be a result of constant belittling throughout his life. The young man probably had no sense of self-worth and Alyssa realized that this visit to her office must have taken a lot of courage for him. She jotted down a few more notes and then told Daryl he could put his over-shirt back on.

"I'm going to need to re-open your wound, drain it and clean it out. I'm not going to lie, it's going to hurt like the dickens and I would like to give you a shot of some pain medication to help." She informed him.

"It ain't gonna knock me out or anything will it?" He asked.

"It shouldn't, but it might, it's morphine. I really would prefer you take the medication though. I will need you to be extremely still and relaxed for a good amount of time while I clean out the wound." She said, hoping he would agree.

Daryl let out a sigh, and then nodded his head again. "Okay, if you think it will help."

"I promise you will be fine." She said as she placed a comforting hand on Daryl's shoulder. She could feel his body stiffen at her friendly gesture, and she wanted to kick herself for the action. The last thing this man wanted was some stranger to touch him without warning.

"Alright, let's get this done." He told her, but she could tell he was really trying to get himself to calm down.

She prepared the shot and injected it into a well-defined vein in his arm. She guided him to lay back on the cot and watched him close his eyes and relax as the opiates began to flood his blood stream. His body became less tense and she could see his facial features soften. When she was sure that the pain medication was at its full strength she began to treat his callused hand. It took her about forty-five minutes to Drain, clean, stitch, and re-wrap the wound. When she was finished she started to speak to let Daryl know she was done, but realized he didn't hear her as he was soundly asleep on the cot.

 **Reviews? Drop me a note and let me know if this is something I should continue with. I actually have this story outlined beginning to end.**

 **I hope you enjoy.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Please note- This chapter includes language that is offensive in regards to race. It is by no means an intent to offend anyone, as these are not my beliefs, but I am trying to accurately convey racial relations in the South in 1938.**

Daryl awoke startled and confused two hours later. He didn't mean to fall asleep, but the meds Dr. Cambridge had given him relaxed him so much he could no longer fight the exhaustion that constantly nagged at him. He looked around the room and saw the young doctor standing at a file cabinet putting folders in the drawer. She hadn't noticed he was awake and he suddenly felt his stomach tie into knots realizing he would need to interact with her again. Daryl felt the need to look at his hand and saw that it was neatly wrapped in a clean bandage, but it still burned like crazy. As he tried to move it felt the tightness of the stitches she must have given him when he drifted off asleep.

Not knowing what to do, he let out a little cough.

"Oh Mr. Dixon, you are awake. How are you feeling? Sometimes the medication can cause nausea or other reactions." She warned.

Oh, his stomach was fluttering, bit it wasn't from the medication, it was from his nerves. He interacted with people so little these days he barely knew what to say or do anymore. "I'm Ok." He said as he tried to stand up and stumbled back onto the cot.

"Whoa there." Alyssa said as she rushed to his side to keep him from falling off the cot.

Daryl raised up his hand as she went to reach for him. "Just give me a minute."

Alyssa could see how much he was fighting her assistance, and decided to let him try to get his wits about him. "I've got a bag of things for you to take with you when you leave. It might be easier if I drive you home and then you can have someone come pick up your truck."

"Ain't no need to do that. I'll be fine." He said attempting to stand a second time, and once again stumbling.

Alyssa looked at him this time "I'm sorry Daryl, but unless you want to spend the night here, I can't let you drive in your condition. Let me go over some instructions for you and then I will take you home. It's only a couple of miles from here and it won't be any problem."

Daryl panicked. He didn't want to be a burden on the sweet doctor and he didn't think he could handle the closeness of being with her in an enclosed vehicle, even it was for a couple of miles. He tried to get his breathing under control and finally managed to string together a coherent sentence. "Do you got a phone? I can call my Uncle and he can come get me. It won't be any bother."

Daryl expected Alyssa to look at him like he lost his mind, (hell sometimes he thought he had), but instead she gave him a warm smile and gently placed her hand on his shoulder, "There is a phone over at the desk, do you need me to make the call for you?"

"I think I can make it over there." He said once again struggling to get up, but finding his legs beneath him.

"Morphine can sometimes have residual effects on people…I'll make a note in your file so this won't happen again Daryl. I'm sorry you had this reaction." Alyssa told him, truly feeling bad for making the man feel weak around her.

"It's Ok." He mumbled, looking down at the floor while struggling to keep his balance as he slowly made his way to her desk to use her phone. He managed to pick up the receiver and contact the operator, who then patched him through to his Uncle Jess. Daryl's call was brief and he placed the phone back down on her desk when he was finished. He took a deep breath and once again slowly made his way to sit down on the cot. Alyssa was waiting patiently for him, sitting in the chair beside the bed.

"So let me explain what I have here for you." She said and Daryl nodded at her.

"I've placed a few tablets of sulfanilamide in here to fight the infection. Please be sure to take these with food. I have also included some aspirin to fight the fever you have and some clean bandages as well. Tomorrow morning I want you to remove the bandages you have on now, soak the hand for thirty minutes in warm salt water, and then re-wrap the wound. I want you to do this for three days, and then I want you to only soak the wound, but not wrap it after that." Alyssa instructed.

"When can I go back to working the farm?" He asked.

"I'd like you to avoid using that hand for at least a week, and after that I want you to wear leather gloves until I remove the sutures. You will need to come back in ten days and if everything looks good I will release you from my care." Alyssa told him.

"A week? I ain't got a damn week…it's harvesting season." He told her.

"Daryl it's important to let that hand heal. The infection you have is serious, if you had let it go untreated much longer there was a good chance you would have developed Sepsis and then you could have died or lost your hand. Is there anything of a light duty nature you could do?" She asked him.

Daryl simply dropped his head. He hated feeling worthless and was now blaming himself for not getting the wound treated sooner like his Uncle Jess had suggested. He was still feeling groggy, feverish, and now guilty because it meant that it was going to place more on Merle and Jess. "You obviously ain't ever been on a farm or you wouldn't have asked the question." Daryl snipped.

His comment pissed her off, but she didn't say anything. Daryl Dixon didn't know one damn thing about her past and he certainly had no business making a comment like that one. "You might not want to jump to conclusions about me Mr. Dixon. I might surprise you." She quipped.

Her tone caught Daryl's attention and he looked up from underneath his shaggy bangs that mostly covered his eyes. "I'm sorry, I had no right…just frustrated is all."

"Just so you know, I grew up in Jonesboro…outside of Atlanta, and I worked cotton fields myself." She told him as she opened her hands and showed him the calluses that she still carried to this day. This caught Daryl's attention in two ways. First, he was slightly impressed with her feistiness, and second of all, he was surprised that the lovely doctor in front of him didn't come from a life of privilege like he had suspected.

"So you farmed…before you became a doctor? Do you ever go back and visit?" He asked in a slightly braver tone.

"I did farm, with my family. Unfortunately we lost the farm shortly before I decided to go to medical school. After the farm was lost, my parents passed and I needed a way to support myself. I reckon I could have given up my dream and just got married to one of the local boys, but I wanted to do something for myself. My daddy taught me not to ever rely on anyone to get anywhere in life, so I enrolled in school, worked every job I could to earn money, and managed to graduate with a degree in medicine. Trust me, being female and a doctor has not been easy. If I had a nickel for every time someone called me Nurse when I was interning at the hospital in Atlanta, I wouldn't have to work anymore. A lot of patients refused to even let me work on them because they thought I couldn't possibly know what I was doing because I was a woman." She told Daryl.

"It's a shame. I thought you did a damn fine job taking care of my hand. It's feeling better already." He said boldly, causing Alyssa to laugh. After hearing what she struggled with to get to where she was, he was even more impressed with the young woman sitting beside him.

"I think that's the morphine in your system telling you that, but I appreciate the support." She told him.

Daryl gave her a small smile, and Alyssa's heart jumped a little. Mr. Dixon might be a bit broken, but he was certainly a handsome man, especially when his face relaxed.

"So, to continue with the instructions I was giving you…" Alyssa said, her cheeks beginning to flush a bit.

"I think it might be best that you have someone stay with you tonight, just to make sure you don't have any adverse reactions later on. I have a container of rabbit stew for you to take with you so that you don't have to worry about preparing dinner tonight. It's very important that you get plenty of sleep and eat well to help your body with the healing. Will you promise me you will at least take it easy for the next couple of days?" She said in an almost pleading voice.

"Yeah, I'll try. You didn't have to go to all the trouble of making me dinner though, I can cook." He said, embarrassed that she must of thought he couldn't take care of himself.

"I had plenty left over and it wasn't any problem. One of my patients brought me some rabbits in exchange for my services and I made the stew…but with it just being me I knew I wasn't going to eat it all and I didn't want it to go to waste. Plus I feel really bad about misjudging how you would react to the morphine. Honestly it wasn't any trouble at all." She said in a pleading voice.

"Well I appreciate it…I ain't been out hunting in a while and rabbit stew does sound good." He told her, once again looking down at the floor when he spoke. Alyssa wished he didn't feel like he couldn't look her in the eyes when he spoke. Somehow she knew there was something more to the man sitting in front of her than a broken soul. More than anything she wanted to find out that part about him.

Her thoughts about Daryl were interrupted when the door opened and Daryl's uncle Jess walked in. One thing Alyssa was sure of after taking a look at Daryl's uncle was that the men in the Dixon family were not short on handsome looks. Daryl's uncle possessed the same piercing blue eyes that Daryl had, and he also stood tall with broad shoulders. However, Jess carried himself in a much more confident manner than Daryl and she wished Daryl felt strong enough to do the same. Jess reached out his hand to Alyssa "Jess Dixon, I'm this boy's Uncle…is he gonna live?"

"He should be fine, but I did give him instructions to take it easy for the next few days and to avoid using his hand for the next week, I hope you understand. I know it's harvesting time, but the wound was seriously infected and it needs time to heal." She said.

Jess nodded "I'll make sure he does like you said. Daryl's a smart man, but he can be stubborn sometimes. We can let him drive tractor for a few days, and his brother and I can do the heavy lifting. Daryl said he had a reaction to the shot you gave him, is there anything we need to be concerned about?"

"I suggested he have someone stay with him tonight, just to make sure he doesn't have any further reactions and also to make sure that his fever doesn't spike." Alyssa told Jess impressed that the man seemed to be genuinely concerned about his nephew.

"His brother was already planning on staying with him…we'll make sure he does as he's told." Jess said, giving Daryl a pointed look that let him know he better not do otherwise.

Daryl raised his hands in mock surrender "I hear ya Jess, I'll do like I'm supposed to."

"Good to hear. Can you walk out to the truck? Hannah already got in your truck and is taking it home, thought it would save another trip into town." Jess told Daryl. Then he looked at Alyssa "Hannah's my wife and she loves Daryl like he was her own. There isn't anything she wouldn't do for him or his brother. Now if we could get our daughter to share the same generosity we might get somewhere." He said laughing.

"How old is your daughter?" Alyssa asked.

"Fourteen going on thirty. She thinks she knows everything and won't listen to us if her life depended on it. Do you have a pill to fix that?" Jess joked with the doctor.

"No, they haven't invented that yet, but as soon as they do I will let you know." Alyssa laughed. Daryl liked the sound of her laugh, and wished he could speak to Alyssa with the same ease that Jess was able too, but he knew it was just a fantasy. People didn't want to hear from someone as fucked up as him, and he knew he'd never be able to handle himself with the same confidence Jess had. Daryl was good at two things, farming and hunting and that would just have to be good enough to get by on for the rest of his days.

Daryl paid the doctor for her services and then he and Jess made their way out to Jess's truck, Daryl walking a little slower than normal as his legs were still a bit wobbly. Once he was seated in the truck they began to head home and Jess began to speak "Just a warning, your Dad is in rare form. He's drunker than a skunk and tried to drive the tractor. The old bastard fell off before he could get the thing started, and when Me and Merle tried to get his drunk ass up off the ground he went into a tirade about Hannah and my 'half-breed' daughter." Jess informed Daryl.

"He's been attending those political meetings again, ain't he?" Daryl asked.

"You mean Klan meetings? Yeah, he's been buying into their bullshit about white supremacy. The only think supreme about your father is that he is a supreme drunk. He ain't got any right to judge anyone." Jess said, anger seeping in his voice.

Daryl's Uncle Jess had left the Dixon farm shortly after his parents had passed away. Jess was sixteen and wanted to explore the world, but the best he could manage was to go out west. Daryl didn't know a whole lot about what Jess did when he was out west, but he did know that Jess integrated himself with some of the Indian tribes and then took on a job as a translator and trade arbitrator. After witnessing how the US Army had treated some of the varying tribes, and then watching their land get taken from them, he left the West and headed back to Holly Springs. It was then that Jess started hanging around the Cherokee Reservation and met Hannah and they fell in love. Daryl could see what Jess saw in the woman. She was full-blooded Cherokee with strong facial features, and the most stunning gray eyes he had ever seen. Jess had always had his share of women interested in him, but he had never met the one that stole his heart, until he met Hannah. They were married within a month of their first meeting and Jess moved Hannah off the reservation and onto the farm with him. He built her a house, and they started their life together.

They had three children, the first two sons didn't survive past infancy, but their daughter Clarissa, a late blessing in their lives, survived and thrived and was growing into a beautiful woman. She had her mother's dark skin and dark hair, her father's blue eyes, and the strong spirit that both Jess and Hannah possessed. Merle and Daryl spoiled Clarissa every chance they could, but Will barely acknowledged his niece and his sister in law, and if he did interact with them, it was with the same malice he treated everyone else. He was disgusted by the fact that his brother chose to "breed with an inferior race" and made it no secret about how he felt.

People in Holly Springs tolerated Jess, but they shunned Hannah. She was fully aware of the whispers when she would go into town to pick up supplies for the house, or the fact that people would step away as she would approach. Hannah was a strong woman though, and she held her head high and didn't let the pettiness of most of the people in the community to get her down. Jess had to fight the school system to get them to allow Clarissa to attend classes, but when the Mayor of Holly Springs, Dale Horvath pointed out that legally they had to allow Clarissa into school (she didn't possess Negro blood), then no more fuss was made.

Negroes on the other hand were absolutely forbidden from attending the all white school system and were relegated to the second class schools on the east side of town. One of the worse beatings Daryl ever received as a child was when Will found out that Daryl had been playing with a black child who's family had been working on the Greene Farm during planting season. Daryl had no idea what he had done wrong, but after that event he had been warned by Merle to just make sure it didn't happen again. Even when he asked Merle what he had done wrong, Merle told him he didn't have a real answer, but "people believed it was somehow evil" and it was just better off if he didn't question it.

"Where's Merle?" Daryl asked his uncle.

"He's already down at your house. He and Will got into it and Merle grabbed his shit and left. You might be having a house guest for a while." Jess warned.

"It's fine." Daryl said, rubbing his hands across his face. He couldn't put his finger on it, but something had changed in Merle since his altercation with Blake a few months back. Merle had actually been sober, caring, hard working, and well…he was actually bathing on a regular basis. Daryl knew something was up with his older brother, he just hadn't figured out what it was yet.

Jess brought Daryl to his house and helped his weakened nephew to the front door, while carrying the packages Alyssa had sent with him. Hannah was sitting out on the porch talking to Merle while waiting on Jess to take her home. Immediately when she saw Daryl she ran over and gave him a kiss on the cheek. She was one of the few women that Daryl would allow to touch him without recoiling.

"I've picked up your laundry and I'm going to wash it for you." She said, always playing a mothering role to him. There was no doubt about how much Daryl loved his aunt and the comforts she always provided him.

"Thanks, but you don't have too." Daryl said as he held onto the doorframe to keep the dizziness at bay.

"It's not a problem Daryl. I will send Clarissa down with dinner in a little while as well." She said.

"No need, I've got dinner already. The Doc said she made too much rabbit stew and gave me some to take home." He told her.

"Oh she did huh? She's a very pretty one Daryl, and not married either." Hannah teased.

Daryl just looked down at the ground and mumbled "Don't matter, I ain't exactly any sane girls dream."

"Stop Daryl, you'll meet someone one day and fall in love. Don't give up. Jess was about your age when we met and look how things turned out." She said, offering kind words of encouragement.

"I appreciate the sentiment Hannah." He told her as he gave her a kiss on the cheek and she left with Jess.

…

Daryl managed to put up the supplies Alyssa had given him, relishing the fact that they smelled like the young doctor with the light scent of Lilac's wafting into the air, one of Daryl's favorite smells. They reminded him of Spring. He then began to warm up the stew on the stove. He sat down on the couch to ward off some of the dizziness after he turned on the radio so the tubes would warm up. He and Merle could listen to the nightly news then after that they could listen to the Jack Benny Show, which would follow after the news and give both brothers a much-needed laugh.

"Woo Wee Brother that stew smells good. You say that doc made it for you? I bet it's better than your Rabbit stew." Merle teased.

"First of all, she didn't make it for me, and second of all, I never claimed to be a great cook." Daryl said as he stood up on shaky legs to move to the stove so he could stir the pot. He then began to pull out the other items in the bag she had given him and noticed she had also included buttermilk biscuits and half of an Apple pie in the bag as well.

"Damn, brother…I think I need to get sick and let her take care of me. She already has Blake beat as a doc hands down." Merle said as he noticed all the food they had.

"That ain't saying much Merle. Blake is an asshole…Alyssa is real lady. You know she used to farm cotton before she went to medical school." Daryl told his older brother.

"Seems to me you two did a whole lot of talking while she was doctoring you up. Maybe you should ask her out on a date baby brother. It's been a long time since you've had the company of a good woman." Merle told him.

"Ain't never had the company of a _**good**_ woman, and she's way out of my league. Besides, I don't need a woman in my life. What the hell you think would happen if I woke up with one of them bad dreams? You know how I get and I'd scare her and she'd probably get me sent away somewhere." Daryl said in a serious tone.

"Did you ever think if you had a woman you might not have them dreams no more? It ain't normal for a man like you to be alone. Ain't you got desires like most men?" Merle challenged.

"Course I got desires, but I keep 'em under control, unlike you. I don't need none of them whores you always send my way when you get me to drinking…If I don't think about it then I keep it under control." Daryl assured Merle.

"I still say it ain't normal. You ain't a bad looking guy…not as pretty as me, but you'd do for some women. And you ain't even been out drinking in at least five years. That thing you got between your legs is gonna fall off if you don't use it." Merle joked.

"Shut up…we ain't having this discussion no more Merle. But I've been meaning to ask ya why you've been on your best behavior lately?" Daryl asked his older brother.

Merle blushed and suddenly was speechless. "Um…"

"Um what Merle? You in some kind of trouble?" Daryl asked suddenly concerned.

"Not yet. Ain't nothing you need to concern yourself with." Merle said. "Is that stew ready yet?" He then asked Daryl, changing the subject.

Daryl scooped out two servings of the stew for himself and Merle, and then plated the biscuits. He handed Merle his serving and sat down on the couch so he could listen to the news. The main story of the night on CBS radio was about the Governments in Nazi Germany and Italy beginning to take away rights of the Jewish people in those countries. In Germany they passed a decree stating that all persons of Jewish decent had to take Jewish first names such as 'Israel' or 'Sara'. Daryl just shook his head.

"Damn, ain't there any place that ain't gonna judge someone just because of how they were born and raised?" Daryl said to Merle.

"It goes back to Biblical times brother. Always has been that way. Unless folks know what its like, like you and I do, they ain't gonna stop. After all the shit our dumbass Daddy pulled do you think we ever are gonna get respect around here? Hell No, we're just the white trash Dixon boys." Merle mumbled.

"You think were heading into another War…like the one before?" Daryl asked, flashes of that damn battlefield trying to play in his mind.

"I think Europe is, but hopefully it will just stay Europe's problem. Roosevelt's got enough to worry about here on the home front. With so many folks out of work he's got to tend to the home fires first." Merle said assuring Daryl. He knew Daryl still struggled with the fear of needing to return to Europe. Merle was too old to worry about the draft, but with the cut-off age being forty-five, Daryl still had seven years of eligibility. It wasn't that Daryl was afraid, Hell he was one of the bravest people Merle ever met, but he knew that sending Daryl back to the front lines would most likely break his younger brother to the point he would never be able to function normally. Merle and Daryl really never spoke of that day in Cantigny, but Merle knew Daryl never left it behind.

They listened to the rest of the news in Silence, learning that the famous horse Sea Biscuit had won a twenty five thousand-dollar purse against the horse Ligaroti at Del Mar out in California in what was deemed as "One of the greatest matches of all time." That caused Daryl to let out a little laugh.

"Could you imagine winning Twenty Five thousand dollars in one three minute race Merle? Not to mention all the stud fees the horse is gonna get now." Daryl said to Merle.

"Nope…the horse is a Gelding, no money from stud fees. I bet that's one set of nuts they wish they held onto." Merle joked and both brothers started laughing. Daryl had always been impressed with how much Merle knew on the issues of the time.

They finished their dinner, and then listed to Jack Benny as planned, and then they listened to the Science Fiction program "The Shadow" afterwards. Daryl felt himself dozing and Merle was cleaning up the dinner dishes while fixing himself a piece of pie. Daryl was almost asleep when he heard a knock at the door.

"Shit…I hope it ain't the old man." He said as he started to get up.

"No need to get up, it's for me." Merle said as he opened the door and there stood Beth Greene.

Suddenly everything about Merle's changes made sense to Daryl and a panic flooded over him. His brother was in dangerous territory and for once, Daryl should have seen this coming.

Beth Greene was one of the few people outside of his family that Daryl felt comfortable around. He had known Beth since the day she was born, which compared to him and Merle's age, wasn't all that long ago. Beth was barely twenty years old and Merle was old enough to be her daddy. Except, well, Hershel was her Daddy and he was actually older than Will.

Daryl always thought of the little beauty next door as some sort of an Angel…or at least what Daryl pictured an Angel would look like minus the halo and wings. Not only was Hershel a farmer, he was also a Veterinarian, and a damn good one at that. It was convenient having him so close when they had problems with their animals. Hershel's specialty was calving, and he was needed on more than one occasion on the Dixon farm. On top of farming cotton, the Dixon's also had a good size dairy barn. It was Merle's specialty and he took pride in the quality of the Dairy Cows they raised and the milk they sold to others in the area. There were times when the price of cotton was so low the only way the Dixon's made it through the winter was from money they made off of the dairy cows.

One of Merle's prized cows had gone into labor and was having difficulty delivering, so Daryl ran next door to summon Hershel that his services would be needed. Daryl returned back to the barn to assist Merle and Hershel showed up with his little daughter Beth. She couldn't have been more than six at the time and was as cute as any little girl could possibly be. He could still picture her standing there in her little blue pinafore dress and knee high socks with one up to her knee and the other down around her ankle. She had a bandage on her knee from the rigors of playing outside and what he remembered most about Beth was her huge blue eyes looking at the cow in wonderment.

Hershel had determined that the calf was turned wrong and he needed to internally turn the calf so it could pass through the birth canal. He did what he could, but the calf was still not progressing properly through the birth canal and the mother was now in distress. Merle was in fear of losing both his prize cow and the calf and didn't know what to do. Apparently little Beth thought she had the answer and she dropped down on her knees and began to pet the cow, whispering to her in soothing tones "It's OK buttercup, you just need to relax and you can then have your baby. Don't be scared because everything will be just fine."

If by some miracle, the calf began to exit the birth canal properly and she was born healthy. From that moment on Merle began to call Beth the little Miracle Worker. Daryl couldn't disagree with him because the little gal seemed to have magic about her, and that smile she carried with her was contagious.

It seemed that from that day forward Beth Greene was always popping up at the Dixon farm. Whether it was to show off her new horse, or to help out with the cows, she freely came to visit. Even when Will was on one of his drunken binges she never seemed to shy away. For a girl as small as Beth was, she seemed to possess a strong courage and goodness about her.

As Beth got older and began to mature into a young woman, Daryl noticed that Merle was beginning to become tongue tied around the little angel. Beth was always small, but she was developing womanly curves and even Daryl couldn't deny she was quite the looker. Just after she graduated High School she came by the farm to tell Daryl and Merle she was heading off to college and was going to be gone for a couple of years. Merle couldn't hide his disappointment about the youngest Greene girl leaving, but he didn't say anything. He gave her a big hug and she promised she would write the brothers and let them know how college was going.

Both men looked forward to Beth's letters over the next two years and Merle was excited a few months ago when Beth said she would be returning home, after finishing up with a degree in Nursing. Daryl had been so busy with the current growing season over the past few months he had forgot that Beth was coming home, and then Merle had his drunken fiasco in town and Daryl just assumed Merle had been laying low because of it. He hadn't seen Beth, so he didn't realize she was home. Now seeing her outside on their front porch at close to nine o'clock at night he came to a conclusion he hoped was not correct.

"Why Daryl Dixon, have you been avoiding me?" Beth said as she entered the house, flopped on the couch beside Daryl and gave him a big hug. He hugged her stiffly, but for Daryl that was a big deal.

"Naw…didn't know you were back." He told her, looking up at Merle who simply shrugged his shoulders.

"I know you have been so busy. Merle told me you have been working hard and trying to get that old blue tractor to run." Beth said smiling brightly. There was no denying the girl could still light up a room.

"Yeah, Merle didn't mention he had seen you." Daryl said.

"Oh, Um…well, Surprise, I'm back." Beth said, eyeing Merle nervously.

Merle then spoke "Beth's been trying to get a job as a Nurse at the hospital in Canton. They don't have any openings right now, but I know she'll find something."

"Oh Merle…I found something this morning. I'm going to be working as a nurse for Dr. Cambridge. She said she needs two nurses to help her run her office, and I'm going to work the day shift. The pay is not the greatest, but it's still sixty cents an hour." She said excitedly.

When Daryl heard Beth mention Alyssa he felt his breathing pick up. He wasn't used to feeling this way about strangers, let alone female strangers.

"Well that's real good Beth, I'm happy for you." Daryl told her, offering her a strained smile. But Beth working for the Doctor was the least of his problems at the moment and he needed to speak to Merle privately.

"Merle, I'm feeling a bit dizzy still, do you think you could help me to my room?" Daryl said, not really lying, but using his dizziness to get Merle alone.

"Sure little brother. Stay right here Miss Greene and I'll be right back." Merle said as he gave Beth a wink. Daryl didn't miss the fact that Beth blushed after Merle's little show of affection.

Merle helped Daryl up off the couch and guided his brother into his room. Daryl sat down on the bed and told Merle to close the door. Once Merle had the door closed Daryl spoke in a harsh whisper "Have you lost your mind? That girl could be your daughter. Hell Merle, we've known her since she could walk."

"Just calm your britches little brother. She's twenty years old and that's practically an old maid around here in these parts. I've taken quite a shine to her and she seems to like my company too." Merle told his younger brother.

"Have y'all talked to Hershel about this? I'd be real curious to hear what he and Annette would have to say about you dating his daughter." Daryl quipped back.

"We ain't said nothing to her daddy yet…this is still pretty new, but Hershel ain't got no room to talk. He's seventy years old and Annette is forty. That's a thirty year age difference." Merle said in his defense.

"And you're forty-six and Beth is twenty. She's still a girl." Daryl said angrily.

"Trust me, she's far from being a girl." Merle said back with a big smile on his face.

"Oh God Merle, please tell me you haven't…" Daryl said dropping his face in his hands and letting out a drawn out breath.

"No, not yet…but she wants too and I reckon it wouldn't be right for me not to oblige." Merle said proudly.

"Merle…this is Beth we are talking about. Do right by her…please. We don't need anymore scandals revolving around us. Beth deserves better." Daryl said praying silently that his brother was listening to him for once.

"I'll take it under advisement. Now if you will excuse me I have a lovely little angel waiting for my company and I need to have her home at a decent hour so we can attend church in the morning." Merle said, knowing he just gave Daryl a heart attack.

"Church huh? Good you need it." Daryl said, not letting his brother get a rise out of him.

…

Alyssa was sitting in the diner dressed in her church clothes waiting on her breakfast to be delivered to her table. She had chosen a lavender linen dress and pulled her dark locks up on the sides with a pearl comb that had once been her mothers. The rest of her hair fell loosely across her shoulders and down her back. Eating breakfast at the diner had been a Sunday morning tradition for her since arriving in Holly Springs. The Diner was owned by a heavy set but attractive woman named Olivia Cross, and though she was nice, she was definitely a gossip. Ironically, the 'Town Gossip' as Alyssa had deemed her, Sara Jane Lowry was sitting at the table right behind her. Normally Alyssa wouldn't have given it any thought, until she heard Daryl's name mentioned between the two women.

"So I guess you heard that Daryl Dixon was in town yesterday. I saw his truck parked at the new Doctor's office for a few hours. He probably scared the poor woman to death." Sara Jane said to Olivia. Obviously neither woman noticed that Alyssa was sitting right behind them.

"Those Dixon's are always causing trouble…well at least Merle is. I still can't believe he attacked Dr. Blake like he did at the Founder's day celebration. The Blake's are good people and don't deserve to be treated like that…especially by any of the low-life Dixons." Olivia said.

For some reason Olivia's words angered Alyssa. Daryl was nothing but a perfect gentleman, and his Uncle Jess was a very articulate and caring man and very well mannered to say the least. She hadn't met Merle, but if he was anything like Jess and Daryl, he couldn't be that bad. Based on what Daryl had said about his father though, she guessed he might be different than the others.

"Well you know I heard that the new Doctor treats everyone…and I mean including the blacks on the east side of town." Sara Jane told Olivia.

"I heard that too. That's just disgusting. Dr. Blake knows better. I heard that he triples his price if a darkie comes into his office and I'm glad. We don't need to be mixing with those people." Olivia said emphatically.

"I know, and if she treats them, that means she has to touch them. God knows what disgusting things she has come in contact with. I promise you this, if something were to happen to Dr. Blake then I would drive the extra distance to Canton to get treated. I certainly don't want anyone treating me that also treats the Negroes." Sara Jane said.

"Well I'm sure Daryl had to go see her because of what Merle did to Dr. Blake, but it was probably for the better. Those Dixon's never had much problem mixing with the races…I mean, Jess Dixon married a filthy Cherokee woman and then they forced the school system to accept their half-breed daughter." Olivia said in an angry tone.

"Yeah, those savages are no different than the blacks. I tell you what, Those Dixon's should be living down on the east side with the other sharecroppers. The only one who's got any sense is Will Dixon, but he can't stay sober enough to function properly. Maybe if he wouldn't have been a drunk all the time he could have raised those boys right. You know I heard Merle was spotted down at the Juke Joint." Sara Jane laughed.

"Really? When and by who?" Olivia asked.

"I don't want to say who, because I don't want to gossip, but the person that saw him was a member of that secret political organization. I have to admit that I like the work they are trying to do around here. They are trying to keep Holly Springs clean." Sara Jane said in a bright voice.

"I hope and pray it works. We need to keep the filth out." Olivia retorted.

By now Alyssa was seething. She didn't have the highest opinion of Dr. Blake to begin with, and now after hearing about the way he treated the colored in Holly Springs, she liked him even less. He took the same Oath she did when he became a Doctor, and he was supposed to honor that Oath. Alyssa didn't take those words for granted and the last time she checked the Oath didn't state excluding individuals because of race.

Alyssa stood up, threw some money on the table, and turned to address Olivia and Sara Jane. The two women looked shocked and embarrassed when they finally realized that Alyssa had been sitting right behind them the entire time and most likely heard their entire conversation.

Alyssa mustered up her sweetest smile she could "Well just so you know, if either of you two are ever interested in my medical services, I charge bigots five times what my normal rate is. I want to be sure not to poison my practice with the ill will of judgmental gossips. Now God Bless both of you and I hope you have a truly pleasant day, I'll be sure to pray for both of you during this morning's service. Oh, and another thing Ms. Cross, I will not be eating in this diner anymore…I heard the food is tainted with hypocritical beliefs."

A smug smile crossed Alyssa's face as she looked at the gaping mouths of the two women she had just addressed. Alyssa knew she just upset the apple cart in this sleepy little town, almost certain that her actions would be known throughout the white community before the sun set tonight, but she didn't care. Those people that were going to judge her already had convinced themselves she wasn't a worthy doctor just because she was a female. She still had enough patients that she could sustain a living and treat everyone in a fair and just manner.

As she walked out of the diner and headed towards church she was angry all over again thinking about what the two women said about the Dixons, especially Daryl. She wasn't sure why she couldn't get the man off of her mind, but she was sure that when she was offering up her Sunday morning prayers that she would pray for Daryl. There was something about that man that intrigued her, and she decided that maybe after Church this afternoon she would make a special visit out to the Dixon farm to make sure that Daryl was recovering from his medical reaction the day before. Yeah, that was what she would do. Alyssa smiled and for some reason she couldn't stop the fluttering in her stomach. Daryl was her patient and she was going to be sure that he received all the treatment he needed.

 **So Please let me know what you think. I'm nervous about writing a story dealing with such a touchy subject. I'd love to hear from you so please feel free to leave me a review. I look forward to your feedback. Thanks for giving this story a chance. I know it seems to be moving slowly, but I am working hard on character development.**

 **Thanks to JeanF, Tie228, ArcheryLefty and SmileJul for your incredible feedback. It was appreciated and has given me some great ideas to include in future chapters.**

 **Thanks for reading-**

 **Missy**


	3. Chapter 3

Merle Dixon had not graced the doors of a church in nearly thirty-five years. He thought for a moment when he entered the building he might combust, but surprisingly he didn't. Merle had followed his brother's wishes and respected Beth's virtue. It actually wasn't as difficult as he thought it would be considering Beth might just be the first female that Merle had genuine feelings for. He was different around her and was willing to make changes that he had never been willing to make for anyone else. Since Beth had returned home from College Merle had been a changed man. He stayed away from places and people who could get him in trouble and found himself thinking about a future and settling down. The problem was he had to convince Hershel that he was the right man for his youngest daughter.

The Greene's and the Dixon's bond had gone back many years. Hershel's parents had been friends with Merle and Daryl's grandparents. Hershel was eight years older than Will, and had watched Will grow up into the drunk he was today. Hershel wasn't always a saint. He had a propensity to drinking as well, but when his oldest daughter Maggie had been born Hershel made a promise to quit drinking if God would allow her to survive to adulthood. So many families in Holly Springs had lost children and the cemeteries were full of mothers and babies that had died in childbirth and Maggie made Hershel realize there was so much more in this world than dirty bars and the bottom of a bottle. Unfortunately Hershel's enlightenment never happened to Will. Instead Will went the other way, he went from a proud papa to a drunk within four years of Merle's birth. That being said, Merle still had a few vague memories of what it was like to live as a happy family. Daryl never got to know that joy and that always bothered Merle.

As long as Merle could remember, he had always worried about his little brother. Being eight years older than Daryl he felt the responsibility to protect him after he was born. With Will being pretty much an absentee parent Merle unofficially was the "man of the house". He looked after his mom as best he could, and helped out with raising Daryl any chance he got. When his mom was off selling eggs just so they could have food for the table, Merle would keep an eye on Daryl. He changed his brother's diapers, dressed the small boy, and would play with him when they had free time. Whatever his mother needed from him to help out, Merle was more than willing to do. When Nellie passed away suddenly and then his grandparent's passing away shortly after, Merle was left as Daryl's only protector. Will was around, but was by no means a responsible parent. Times were lean and Will was letting the farm fall into ruin. He couldn't stay sober long enough to harvest a decent crop. There was some income, but it went mostly to pay the taxes on the farm or to Will's habits.

Merle was thirteen the first time he got in trouble with the law. He had been caught stealing at the local farmers market and had been taken to the police station where Will had to come pick him up and promised it wouldn't happen again. When they returned home Merle received his first severe beating from his father. It left him bed ridden for three days. He had been whipped so badly by his daddy that he could only lay on his stomach. Daryl was getting old enough to know that their father was not a good man, and the child was terrified of him. He saw how badly Merle was injured and stayed by his big brother's side, bringing him water and telling him stories to try to get Merle to feeling better. It was an awful time in the Dixon house, and it was all because Merle was trying to get food to feed he and his younger brother. Will certainly wasn't missing any meals, but his sons were starving. As soon as Merle healed up, he found his Granddaddy's hunting rifle and crossbow and he took it upon himself to teach him and Daryl how to hunt.

Things didn't get better at the house, in fact, Will just became meaner and more neglectful, but Daryl and Merle were at least able to put food on the table. Hershel taught Daryl how to grow vegetables and was kind enough to give the young boy seeds to start a garden and Merle became an incredible shot with Daryl becoming almost as good. They were now managing to bring in fresh game to feed themselves, but now Will was becoming dependent on his sons to feed him as well. Will barely contributed to his family's existence.

As Daryl entered his early teens he learned how to shoot the crossbow that had been his Grandfather's. During the civil war when ammunition had been scarce the crossbow had become the best substitute to make up for the lack of available firearms and ammunition. It hadn't been easy for Daryl to handle the weapon at first, but sheer determination and his increasing strength allowed him to finally master the complicated device.

As Merle was approaching his early twenties he began to realize that he hadn't lived any kind of life. He had been taking on adult responsibilities since he had been eight and he began to resent this life he had been given. He wasn't angry towards Daryl, but just mad at the world in general. Similar to Will, he began staying out late at night and began frequenting drinking parlors and brothels that peppered the area around Holly Springs. Every now and then he would hop the train and ride to Canton along with his buddies and they would enjoy a good night on the town. He was coming home less and less, and that meant that Will was taking his aggressions out on Daryl more and more.

When Daryl was younger, he had become an extreme introvert and kept to himself most of the time. He had a few acquaintances in town, most notably Rick Grimes and Shane Walsh, but he rarely hung around them outside of school. Amazingly, Daryl was a model student. He excelled in his learning and in the time that he had free he would read everything he could get his hands on trying to soak up all the knowledge he could. But those times were rare and Daryl was spending most of his time outside of school working the farm so they wouldn't lose it to the tax collector, or trying to stay in Will's good graces. It didn't matter what Daryl did to try to please his father though, it was never good enough, and he was getting beat on a weekly basis, and every few months the beatings would be so bad that Daryl was bedridden and couldn't make it to school. People in town knew what was going on, but it wasn't something that anyone ever spoke about. It was always deemed as a family's 'private matter' and it was left alone. With Jess gone out West taking up Indian causes, and Will and Merle's drunken escapades, it didn't take much for the Dixon family name to be tarnished in Holly Springs.

When Woodrow Wilson signed the declaration of War in April of 1917 Merle decided the best thing for him and Daryl was to get the hell out of Holly Springs and join the US Army. Daryl would graduate the next month after the declaration, and Merle convinced him to lie about his age so he could join up. By the time the two brothers headed to Camp Gordon, Daryl had finally turned seventeen years of age and Merle thought this would be the best way to get his brother away from Will.

After what happened at the Battle of Cantigny Merle felt incredible guilt about talking Daryl into going into the military. They returned home heroes, but Daryl never really "came back". Merle had no right to drag a seventeen-year-old boy into the horrors of war, and he didn't think he would ever fully get over the guilt of the damage he had caused to his beloved baby brother.

Shortly after returning home from Europe Prohibition went into effect and Merle started earning money running a bootlegging business that supplied booze to the Speakeasies in the Atlanta area. He found it ironic that he drank more now than he did before prohibition and often found himself in violent confrontations.

The bootlegging business ended up getting Merle eighteen months in the Georgia State Prison system, but fortunately for the Dixon farm, Uncle Jess had returned home. Jess and Daryl worked their assess off keeping the farm running, and when Merle was released he talked Jess and Daryl into allowing him to start raising Dairy Cows on the farm. While he had been locked up he found his cellmate was a former Dairy farmer and the man taught Merle everything he knew. Merle always looked at his stint in prison as his college education. He might have been gone for eighteen months, but he did return home with a new skill.

Merle still enjoyed his drinking, and he frequented the Juke Joints on the East Side of town on a regular basis. It wasn't anything he discussed openly with his family, but it was something that was just known. Holly Springs was deeply segregated, unless it came to drinking or having a good ole time, and Merle was not one to give up on having a good time. On rare occasions he managed to get Daryl to leave the farm by plying his brother with alcohol. They would drink, shoot pool, listen to some good music, and then Merle would throw a few dollars at some whore and convince her to have a go at Daryl. Daryl would never willingly court a female, and Merle felt it was his civil duty to have his brother's almost non-existent sexual needs taken care of every now and then.

With Merle adding the dairy to the farm, that meant he often needed the services of a good vet, and with Hershel living next to them, it made things pretty convenient. Hershel always seemed to be accompanied by his youngest daughter Beth, whom Merle thought was just as precious as a little girl could be. As the years passed, the little girl was growing into a young woman and Merle would try his damnedest not to notice. She always seemed to love being around him and Daryl, and she was regularly coming by the barn unaccompanied by her father. She was a light in his life, and he tried to convince himself that he just enjoyed her all around goodness, but he knew that was a lie. As she continued to get older he found himself more and more attracted to her, and for once in his life he found himself mostly speechless when she was around. If anyone noticed, they didn't say anything, but he it was killing him.

When Beth graduated high school and told Merle and Daryl she was going off to college, Merle felt his heart sink. She promised to write every week, but he knew how it went with the folks in Holly Springs when they left. Most of the time they got a taste of what it was like to live in the city and have careers. Beth would most likely meet a fellow her age, finish school, get a job, get married, have kids, and live happily ever after. She would never consider someone like Merle. He was old enough to be her father.

And speaking of her father, he would never accept his precious little Beth dating a man like Merle Dixon. Merle had a past and was a well known hell raiser. On top of that, the idea of her having Will Dixon as her father in law would not sit well with Hershel either. One thing Merle was sure of was that Hershel had no right to say anything about the age difference. Hershel was thirty-two years older than his wife Annette was was. In fact, Annette was younger than Merle. Both Annette and Hershel had been married to other people at one time. Annette lost her husband to Diphtheria shortly after she had been married at sixteen years old. She found out shortly thereafter that she was pregnant with Shawn, and the boy was born never knowing his father. Shawn was only a year old and Hershel's daughter Maggie was five when Hershel and Annette began to court. They met in church and it started out as friendship…both people consoling each other after losing their spouses. Hershel had lost his first wife Josephine a year prior, leaving him to raise Maggie on his own. As they grieved the losses of their spouses, the much younger Annette began to fall in love with the older and kind man. They soon were married in a small ceremony at the church, and Beth was born two years later.

Surprising to Merle, Beth kept her promise to write to him and Daryl. Daryl was happy to get the letters from Beth, but to Merle it was a sign of hope. Hope that maybe she hadn't forgot about him and that she cared enough to keep in touch. Each letter smelled like lavender, a gentle reminder of how he enjoyed her scent when she was around him. The letters came each week, and sometimes they even received two. Merle had decided that if Beth ever returned to Holly Springs he would man up and tell her how he felt, not giving a damn what anyone thought.

But with Beth being gone for two years, Merle was really losing hope she would return and he had made peace with that. After consuming way too much alcohol prior to the Founder's Day Celebration Merle was feeling restless and angry. When he spotted Dr. Blake's wife Andrea, her long golden hair and blue eyes triggered something in Merle. It reminded him that the only woman he had ever felt true love for was gone and he most likely wouldn't see her again. He approached the arrogant woman and said filthy things to her, propositioning her for sexual favors, but mostly crude things just to piss her off. He wasn't expecting her to backhand him and knock his drunken ass on the ground. As expected Blake came to defend his woman, and Merle was going to get what he wanted, a good ole fight. However, the words Blake used about Merle and his family cut deep…and Merle lost control and began to beat the pompous Doctor. If it hadn't been for Sheriff Grimes and Deputy Walsh, Merle most likely would have killed Blake. Instead he got hauled off to the local jail and was allowed to sleep off his inebriation.

Shortly after the altercation, Beth did return to Holly Springs and she sought out Merle. Before he had a chance to tell her how he felt about her, Beth interrupted and confessed that she was in love with him, and had been for a long time. She then surprised the older man by running into his arms and embracing him in a deep and passionate kiss. That was three months ago and they had been careful to keep their relationship a secret until they felt the time was right to start telling people. Last night was the first time they let anyone in on their secret, and it had been Daryl. Merle knew Daryl would have concerns, but that he wouldn't condemn them. It was a sense of relief to have someone finally know that he and Beth were involved.

Merle had been sober since the incident on Founders Day, and was now planning a future for the first time in his life. He wanted to build a house on the outskirts of the farm, and he found himself longing for a family of his own. He and Beth would find themselves spending hours talking about their future together…but they first had to come up with a way to break the news to Hershel.

Merle being here in Church on this Sunday was the first step. They both knew that Hershel would be much more accepting of his daughter building a life with Merle if Merle could prove himself to be a good Christian. Merle wasn't opposed to Church, it was just something he never really gave much of a thought too in the past. After his mother passed away, he never attended church again. Now all these years later he was sitting here on a warm Sunday morning, wearing a nice clean white shirt, tan slacks, and his best shoes. When the Greene family arrived Hershel expressed his happiness at seeing Merle in the House of the Lord and invited him to sit with the family. Beth sat beside Merle and grabbed his hand out of habit and whispered to him how handsome she thought he looked. Merle actually blushed before he pulled his hand out of Beth's and told her quietly that they still needed to be discreet. She agreed, but they both felt confident that Hershel's reaction was a good sign.

…

Alyssa was sitting in the small church towards the back pew. It was crowded this morning but she was the only one sitting on the pew. It was actually the pew she always sat on. She spotted Beth and sent a little wave to her new nurse that would be starting the next day. Beth was a lovely girl and she saw her sitting between her father and her grandfather.

Just as the piano started to play and the congregation stood to sing the first hymn, Sheriff Grimes and his wife rushed in with their fourteen year old son Carl. By the look of Mrs. Grimes, she was due to deliver her baby at any given moment. The Grimes family filled in the empty space on the pew Alyssa had been sitting and she greeted them with a warm smile. Rick gave the young doctor a pat on the back and whispered an apology for rushing in like they did.

Alyssa had met the Sheriff and his deputy a few times and let them know if they ever needed her help with anything she was more than willing to do her part. Rick had expressed his gratitude to her for her willingness to treat both black and white patients, as well as those that might not be able to afford the fee for the visit. Alyssa had offered her services for Lori's pregnancy if needed, but Rick explained that Lori had been seeing Dr. Blake for many years and was not likely to change doctors this late in her pregnancy. Alyssa let him know she understood, but that she was available if they changed their mind. Rick thought very highly of Alyssa and was secretly disappointed about Lori being so adamant that Dr. Blake deliver their child. He had delivered Carl and it was a difficult birth, and Blake's medical procedures seemed a bit old fashioned to Rick, but he didn't dare question it.

As the service ended Pastor Samuels stood at the door with his wife Earline and his two daughters Lizzie and Mikka greeting everyone as they exited the church. Alyssa complimented the man on his sermon and then headed back to her house to pick up her medical bag. She was determined to go to the Dixon farm and check on Daryl. She couldn't get the man off of her mind, and after the negative way he and his family were spoken about in the diner that morning, she was going to make a special effort to treat the family as kindly as they had treated her.

…

Alyssa drove up to the Dixon farm and parked her truck in front of the house, pulled out her bag and headed up the front steps and knocked. The house definitely needed a coat of paint and some tidying up, but it still had that old farmhouse feel to it. No one answered so she knocked again, and this time the door flew open and she was standing face to face with a man that was not Daryl. The first thing she noticed was the smell of alcohol radiating from his sweaty body and the fact the man was absolutely filthy. His hair was oily and disheveled, his undershirt was stained with God knows what and his pants and belt were unbuckled and barely hanging onto his hips. He had a terrifying scowl on his face and simply said "what the fuck do you want bitch?"

Alyssa stuttered for a moment, causing the man to look even angrier, and she finally spoke "I'm looking for Daryl."

The man then gave her a creepy smile "Well I'll be damned. That little sissy finally has found himself a good fuck. Though I will admit you look a little too classy for his sorry ass."

Alyssa was taken aback by the crassness of this man and the things he was saying about her as well. "I will have you know that I am a doctor and Mr. Dixon is in my care. Is he here or not?" She said a bit angry.

"Look you fucking whore you best not give me an attitude or I will not hesitate to knock your ass down and show you what a real man is like. I don't take orders from a God Damn bitch." Will said as he approached her, causing her to back away from the door but refusing to show fear.

Fortunately for her a blue truck pulled up in front of the house and parked beside her truck. Beth's father got out of the truck and rushed up the porch to diffuse the situation. "Get inside the house Daddy and don't come out again."

"Merle don't you come up here sassing me, I ain't afraid to whip your ass." The drunken man shouted.

"Good luck old man." Merle bellowed.

Alyssa was more confused than she had been in a long while. The drunken man withdrew himself into the house and that left her standing on the porch with the other man. "Merle Dixon ma'am. I'm sorry about my Pa, he is a complete ass…um I mean, jerk."

"Are you Daryl's brother?" She asked. "I saw you in church this morning sitting with the Greene family and assumed…"

"I'm Daryl's big brother. The Greene's are close friends…based on the bag you are holding in your hand I'm going to assume you are the new Doc?" He asked curiously. There was no denying that she was extremely pretty. Merle could see now why Daryl actually attempted a conversation with the woman. Oh yeah, he was definitely going to encourage his baby brother to pursue this young lady. After all Daryl had been through, he definitely deserved this.

"Alyssa Cambridge. I wanted to come by and check on Daryl today, and this was the address he gave, but I must have got it wrong. I still feel bad about his reaction to the meds I gave him yesterday and I also want to check his vitals again." She said offering Merle a nice smile. He seemed like a nice gentleman, unlike the monster that had answered the door. Based on what Daryl had told her yesterday about his father being neglectful, and then mentioning the broken bones and lacerations, she came to the conclusion that Daryl's father was the most likely source of those injuries that he mentioned but wouldn't tell her how they happened. Everything was starting to make sense, including Daryl's extreme shyness and inability to make eye contact. If he had been spoken too all his life the way that she had just been spoken too, then any type of confidence he had was most likely shattered. What she didn't understand was why his brother Merle seemed to be completely different. Merle did appear about ten years older than Daryl and maybe the circumstances were different for Merle when he was in his formative years than they were for Daryl as he was growing up.

"I'll take you down to his house. We all have the same address, but there are three homes on the property." Merle explained to Alyssa.

"How has your brother been doing since he got home yesterday?" She asked.

"He was wobbly on his legs the rest of the day, and he went to bed pretty early last night, but he seemed fine. He wasn't awake when I left for church this morning, so I guess he was getting caught up on some shut eye." Merle informed her. They both got in their vehicles and drove the quarter mile down the dirt path and parked in front of Daryl's home.

It was small but very well kept. The porch had been newly built, and there was a healthy looking vegetable garden beside the home. She could see a large red barn and some Dairy cows a couple of hundred yards away and couldn't believe the contrast of this part of the farm compared to the weathered old house she first had pulled up too.

Merle led her up the nice wooden steps and opened the front door. The house was silent at first and Merle let Alyssa in. "Let me check and see if he is here. He might have headed up to Jess and Hannah's for Sunday dinner." Merle didn't even get a chance to take a step when the familiar sounds of distress began to emanate from Daryl's room. Daryl was having a nightmare and based on the cries now filling the house, this was going to be a bad one. Merle classed Daryl's nightmares into three categories. The first category was just a silent whimpering or cries that rarely woke Daryl. Category two was a more intense cry that caused Daryl to thrash about and usually ended with his brother waking up covered in sweat and unable to speak. Category three was the worse. Daryl would normally begin to scream out the names of the McDonnell boys and he would somehow manage to get himself out of the bed and begin to destroy his room. When he awoke from these dreams he was usually trembling, crying, and more often than not he would be bruised or bleeding from some sort of unintentional self-injury.

"Is that Daryl?" Alyssa asked when she heard the yelling.

"Maybe you should come back later." Merle told Alyssa, now worried that if she knew how bad these night terrors were for his brother that she would never want anything to do with him.

"Merle, what's wrong?" She asked him when she noticed the panicked look on his face.

"Trust me, you should leave. He wouldn't want you hear for this." Merle replied.

"What is going on Merle?" Alyssa asked as she made the move towards Daryl's room.

"Look, Daryl has been through hell, and sometimes he doesn't sleep so well. He doesn't like anyone knowing his struggles, please Alyssa, I'm begging you to just come back." Merle pleaded, but it was too late. Daryl was screaming and carrying on and now the sounds of crashing and his body slamming into the walls were coming from his room.

Alyssa looked at Merle "He told me he doesn't sleep well. I've seen people suffer from severe night terrors after something traumatic…how long has this been going on?"

Merle let out a sigh, as the sounds grew worse behind the door, "Since the war Alyssa, but I'll let him tell you what happened. I gotta get in there and get him out of this before he hurts himself." Merle said as he walked to Daryl's room and opened the door.

Alyssa followed behind him and witnessed Daryl backing away from something he was seeing in his dream. Immediately she noticed his sheets were covered in blood and there was blood all over his undershirt and boxers that he had been sleeping in. Merle stooped down beside his brother and was going to shake him to wake up.

"Stop Merle, let me try this." She said as she stooped down in front of Daryl watching his face. His eyes were open, but he wasn't seeing her as he was obviously still in a dream state.

Very softly she began to call his name "Daryl…Daryl It's Alyssa, can you hear me?" Daryl's body stilled and she began to speak to him again.

"Daryl It's OK sweetie, you are safe. Just relax and let it go…can you do that for me?" She said once again speaking in a soft comforting tone. It seemed to be working as Daryl's breathing was becoming less erratic and his body was beginning to relax. Alyssa noted his sweat-covered brow and the blood still pooling on the floor where his injured hand was resting. She knew he had pulled his stitches and she would attend to his wound once she got him calm and lucid.

Daryl began to blink, coming out of his trance and he was becoming aware of his surroundings. He saw Merle, and then he saw Alyssa who was still speaking to him in a gentle voice. Once it registered with him what had just happened his body tensed up "Go on, y'all need to get out of here. Don't need the whole damn town to know now how fucking crazy I am." Daryl said angrily, dropping his head while trying to get his hands to stop shaking.

"Hush Daryl. I don't think you're crazy and I am not going to tell anyone about this. Trust me, you are not the first person I have seen suffering with bad dreams." She assured him. "Merle can you get my bag, a bucket of warm water and a clean cloth for me." Alyssa asked looking at Merle so he knew she was fine.

"Sure thing doc." He said as he disappeared from the room.

Alyssa began to rub circles on Daryl's back and she could feel the tightness in his shoulders begin to let up. "It looks like you managed to rip out your stitches and I need to take care of that. We'll get you cleaned up and then I want you take a warm bath while I clean up in here and wash your sheets." She told him. He looked up at Alyssa for the first time and realized her lovely church dress was now covered in his blood.

"I probably ruined your dress…I'll buy you another one." He said. "I didn't mean for you to know about any of this and I damn sure didn't need you to see me in my underwear." He replied in an embarrassed voice.

"First of all, the dress doesn't matter, I actually made it myself. Second of all, don't forget Daryl I'm a doctor. I've seen many a man in a whole lot less than his underwear. Trust me I will use the utmost discretion." She said, still gently rubbing circles on his back. His breathing was back to normal and she could feel his body cooling down.

Merle returned back to Daryl's room with a bucket of water, a clean white cloth, and Alyssa's bag. "Merle while you are here can you hand me a clean sheet so I can cover Daryl and give him his privacy." She asked. Merle nodded and ran to the linen closet and pulled out a clean cotton sheet. Alyssa coaxed Daryl up off the floor and had him sit down in a chair beside his bed while Merle draped the cloth over Daryl's lap. Merle disappeared for a moment and returned with a chair for Alyssa to sit on. "Thought you could use this while you stitch him back up."

"Thanks Merle." She said giving Daryl's older brother a smile.

Merle began to pull the bloody sheets off of Daryl's bed and went to put them in Daryl's new Bendix Washing Machine. One thing about Daryl that Merle admired was his brother's ability to save money. Daryl had installed a fully functioning bathroom in the house and even a hot water system. He had purchased a new wash machine and even a General Electric Refrigerator with a small freezer. Jess and Hannah had installed the same luxuries at their house, but Will still had an old ice box, a pump sink with no hot water, and a privy out back. It was one of the things he hated most about staying at the main house. One thing that was for sure, if things worked out for him and Beth, he would make sure she had the best of everything.

"I feel like I'm being a burden on both of y'all. I can take care of my hand and you don't need to feel obligated to fix me up." Daryl said, once again looking down. Alyssa reached out and placed her hand under his chin, gently lifting his face so he would look her in the eyes.

"Daryl you are not a burden. I want to do this for you. My job is to make people better, and right now that's what I'm here doing. I'm glad I came by to check on you and I'm glad I know what you have been dealing with. I can't treat a problem if I don't know that it exists." She told him. Daryl held her gaze and sighed.

"I don't think this can be fixed. I'm broken and pretty worthless and I damn sure didn't want to have to drag anyone else into this. Merle dealing with it is bad enough…" He said.

"Just hush sweetie, all this worrying about what happened isn't doing you a lick of good. Let's take care of this and we will figure out where to go from there." She said in an assuring voice.

For some reason, Daryl was beginning to really trust Alyssa, and he believed her when she said they might be able to fix his nightmares. He was so tired…physically and emotionally. He couldn't remember the last time he got a full night of peaceful sleep. Even last night after sleeping for almost sixteen hours he didn't feel rested. He woke up several times worrying about what Beth and Merle might be up too, or that Will might show up drunk and ready to start shit. Will was a wild card and you never new when or where he was going to show up, or if the Rick was going to call to tell him Will was locked up. And as badly as Will treated Daryl and Merle both boys would willingly go and pay their father's bail or fix the damages that Will had done to keep the old man from rotting in jail. Regardless of how bad of a man Will was, his sons still had a sense of loyalty to their father.

"You might be the nicest person I've ever met in my life." Daryl said without thinking.

"I doubt that Daryl, I'm just thankful you were willing to come to me for treatment. Dr. Blake seems to have a pretty good hold on most everyone in town, and I'm sure that my willingness to treat black folk and the less fortunate isn't going to win me any popularity awards in this town. That's fine though, I don't judge anyone…you never know what they have gone through or what they are going through. The color of your skin or your station in life doesn't define who you are. It's your actions that tell the true story." She said to him.

"See…I'm telling ya, you are a good lady." Daryl wanted to say something better, a bit more eloquent, but his brain wouldn't work right. He did manage to get another one of those pretty smiles from her and he liked how that made him feel.

Alyssa began to wipe all of the blood off of Daryl's skin and had him hold the cloth over his still bleeding hand. Once she had him all cleaned up she pulled out her suture kit "I'm going to re-stitch your wound and it's going burn, but I don't want to give you anything again. I can't risk a repeat of yesterday." She informed him.

"It's fine, I've gone through worse." He told her.

Alyssa threaded the needle and began to stitch Daryl's wound. Even though it was bleeding (primarily because the skin had been ripped apart) it looked much better than it did yesterday. There were minimal signs of infection and Daryl didn't look or feel feverish to her. She gave him sixteen stitches, re-cleaned the wound, and then wrapped it up again with clean gauze.

"It looks real good Daryl. I'm going to check your vitals and then I'm going to pour you a hot bath while you find something clean to wear. Good hygiene is very important when you are getting over an infection like this one." She said.

Daryl let out a laugh "Are you saying you think I'm dirty?"

Alyssa blushed "Oh heaven's no, I just was meaning that with you working on the farm you get exposed to a lot of dirt and bacteria, especially from the animals."

"I know what you were saying, I was just kidding with ya." He told her.

"Good, now find yourself some clean clothes and if you have a second set of sheets I will re-make your bed for you." She told him.

…

Alyssa poured a hot bath as promised for Daryl. She was honestly surprised to see he had indoor plumbing and hot water. For some reason she assumed he was the rugged type of man that had minimal luxuries, but he seemed to have all the modern day conveniences. Daryl came out of his bedroom carrying his clothes.

"Oh Daryl, Try to keep your hand dry. If you need any help let me or Merle know." She said. Daryl felt his heart start beating fast thinking about her bathing him. Damn, he wasn't sure he had ever felt this way about a female while he was still sober.

"Thanks, but I'll be fine." He told her. While he was in the tub bathing, Alyssa took a look around his home. It was a very nice and quaint little cottage. Once you came in the front door you were standing in a large multi purpose room. To the left was the kitchen with the sink, stove, and refrigerator and the kitchen table was just to the left of the entryway. It was a beautiful dining table with four matching chairs. To the right was the living area. He had a sofa, two chairs along with a table in front of the sofa and an end table with a lamp in between the two chairs. A braided rug was on the floor under the sofa table, and the sofa faced a stunning stone fireplace with a large hearth. Firewood was stacked neatly beside the fireplace and the mantle had a few framed photos and a nice new radio sitting in the center. Above the fireplace was a gun rack with three guns, two were rifles and one was a shotgun. Then to Alyssa's surprise, there was a crossbow resting in the corner. She had only seen one once in her life and it had been her father that had shown it to her shortly before they lost the farm. He had wanted one, but never could afford it.

The back of the house was made up entirely of the two bedrooms, separated by the fully functioning bathroom. Everything was neat and tidy with a masculine touch and Alyssa was beginning to see that there was so much more to the shy farmer whom showed up in her office yesterday. She couldn't stop thinking about him and worrying about him as well. The doctor in her wanted to wrap her arms around him and make everything all better. But Daryl had a sense of pride and he wouldn't want to be coddled. She would help him, but Daryl would need to do the work himself.

Merle had sat down on the Sofa and turned the radio so he could listen to some music. Ella Fitzgerald was playing softly as Alyssa went into Daryl's room and made up his bed, fluffed up his pillows, tucked in a soft blanket, and then pulled up the quilt. She then cleaned up the blood that was splashed about the room, straightened up the bedside table and placed the lamp back in it's rightful spot. She then removed the bucket of water and dirty cloth and was met at the bedroom door by Merle. "I'll take those from you Doc. I appreciate all you've done for my baby brother. He's a good man, but not many people take the time to find that out about him. You are one special gal." He said as he gave her a friendly pat on the shoulder.

"Thanks Merle. Once Daryl is done bathing I want to talk to both of you." Alyssa said giving him a smile.

…

Daryl emerged from the bathroom fully dressed, and freshly shaved. Merle raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything. He even thought he caught a whiff of cologne. Alyssa was sitting in one of the chairs in the living area and Merle was sitting on the sofa. "Come sit down Baby brother, the Doc wants to talk to us."

Daryl sat down nervously but managed to keep his eyes upward. Alyssa once again gave him a comforting smile and then she began to speak. "Yesterday when Daryl came in I heard an anomaly when I was listening to his heart. I heard it again earlier when I was checking his vitals and I think that one of the issues causing it might be related to his sleep issues."

Merle sat up straight looking very concerned "So what does that mean? Is his ticker gonna give out on him?"

"No I don't think it's that serious. I believe Daryl is suffering from heart palpitations that can be brought about by stress. When he has those palpitations, they feel like a fluttering in his heart and can often cause him to lose his breath. With minimal sleep and the hard work he does around the farm he is much more vulnerable to stress. I'm going to do some more research and see if I can find out a solid treatment. I don't want to treat his sleep issues with barbiturates because I think they are addictive and we don't want to go down that road."

"Is there anything I can do in the meantime?" Daryl asked nervously.

"I know this might sound strange, but I have found that a cup of Chamomile Tea taken before you go to sleep helps calm the body and mind and makes it easier to sleep. They also say that listening to music before you go to bed helps relax the body as well. I suggest avoiding coffee and sugar after dinner and maybe even a soothing soak in the tub just before you retire for the evening." Alyssa said waiting to hear Merle and Daryl's reaction.

"Sounds good to me Doc. In fact, I'm gonna give it a try as well." Merle said. He knew Daryl would probably be apprehensive to agreeing to such a pampered regiment so he was going to let his baby brother know that if he needed to follow the doc's instructions, then Merle would be willing to do it as well. It couldn't hurt.

"OK." Daryl said in agreement. It was a big step for him to concede, but Daryl didn't want to drop dead of a heart attack in the middle of harvesting season.

Merle then stood up "Jess and Hannah are having Sunday dinner and Daryl and I always show up. What would you say Miss Alyssa if you accompany us Dixon boys as our special guest. It's the least we can do to show our gratitude for you taking the time to look after Daryl on your Sunday afternoon."

Alyssa was starving, and the promise of a home cooked meal sounded good, but she didn't want to show up uninvited by Jess and Hannah. "It's OK, I don't want to impose on them."

"You aren't imposing" Daryl said bravely.

Daryl sounded like he really wanted her to go, so she shrugged her shoulders "As long as you don't think I will be a burden then I accept."

"Ain't gonna be no burden at all." Daryl said, a slight smile appearing on his face and his blue eyes showing a light that Merle hadn't seen in many years.

Merle truly believed that Alyssa might be an answer to a prayer that Merle had offered up that morning in Sunday service. Had he of known God had been listening then maybe he would have gone back to church years ago. All Merle knew was that this day was turning out to be one of the best days he had experienced in a long time. He truly hoped that they would see much more of the new town physician down on the Dixon farm. Maybe Daryl might not need meds after all and instead all he might need is the companionship of a good woman like Alyssa. Daryl had been lonely for way too long and maybe both Dixon boys luck was finally gonna change.

 **Well I ended up needing to split this chapter into two different chapters. I hope to get the second part of this chapter up in the next day or two. I really look forward to hear from you...Please feel free to leave a review...it's a new story and I think the reviews help encourage other people to read.**

 **Just a Note- I researched the medical treatments available in 1938 as well as the house hold luxuries people had at the time. Indoor Plumbing and appliances were becoming common place at the time.**

 **There is going to be quite a bit happening in the next chapter, including Alyssa and Daryl's relationship starting to blossom, as well as Merle and Beth getting the courage to tell Hershel about their relationship.**


	4. Chapter 4

"Would either of you mind if I changed my clothes before we go over to your Uncles house?" Alyssa asked.

Daryl looked at her with a confused look on his face "I don't think anything we have here will fit you, but Hannah might have something for you to change into."

"Oh, I have a clean set of clothes in the truck. I always carry around an extra set just in case I have a situation like I had today. I only need a few minutes." She assured him.

"Go right ahead darling, Me and Daryl will wait on you, and you don't need to feel like you got to rush." Merle told her.

Alyssa ran out to her truck, and then came back into the cottage carrying a small overnight bag. She then proceeded to the bathroom and shut the door leaving the two brothers to themselves.

Merle took the opportunity to address Daryl. "She is really pretty little brother, and I think she has taken a liking to ya."

Daryl blushed at his brother's comment "You are right, she is a pretty girl, but she's just nice is all. There ain't no way a woman like that would think of me as anything other than a patient."

"I disagree Daryl. She didn't need to come by and check on you like she did. I'm telling you, she is interested." Merle assured him.

"Merle, I don't know anything about courting a lady…especially one like her. We both know I've got too much baggage to even think about any type of relationship with a woman. Don't get me wrong, I like being around her, but I can't risk dragging her into my shit. She deserves better." Daryl said solemnly.

Merle felt so bad for his brother. He obviously couldn't see what Merle was seeing with Alyssa's interest in him. Somehow he had to say something to get his brother to change his way of thinking. "Look, I ain't saying you gotta marry her tomorrow, but just have an open mind. Go slow and see what happens. It can't hurt."

Daryl didn't get a chance to reply before Alyssa came out of the bathroom changed into a simple navy blue dress with wide shoulders and a very fitted bodice. The skirt was full and hit her past her knees and the short sleeves and neckline were trimmed in white. Daryl was convinced she could wear a flour sack and still look beautiful.

"I'm ready now." She said as both men stood and led her out to their truck. All three of them piled in with Merle driving and Daryl sitting in the center so Alyssa wouldn't feel trapped between the Dixon's. They continued down the path another half mile and pulled up to a large farmhouse that sat close to the wood line.

"Here we are darling." Merle announced as he they got out of the truck. Before Alyssa had a chance to open her door Daryl had rushed out of the driver's side and quickly opened it for her and offered his hand for her to take. The least he could do was show some manners.

"Thank you Daryl." She said keeping eye contact a little longer than was customary. There was something about Daryl's brokenness that called to her, and seeing him make an effort to follow the social norms was endearing.

Alyssa took Daryl's hand and he guided her up the steps of the farmhouse. The home was immaculate and the porch was beautiful. Everything was a pristine white with large windows on either side of the double front doors. The porch was lined with rocking chairs, lush green plants, and a couple of tables. It looked like a wonderful place to sit and watch the sunset while enjoying a lemonade or sweet tea. This home had the woman's touch that the other two houses she had visited today on the Dixon farm did not. As they entered the house Jess, his wife Hannah and his daughter Clarissa greeted them.

"Well I gotta give you credit Doctor Cambridge, not many people willingly visit the Dixons once they meet us." Jess joked.

"I reckon that means most folks are missing out. I've enjoyed spending time with your nephews this afternoon." Alyssa said, leaving out the part about Daryl's episode earlier. She wasn't lying though because she really had enjoyed spending time with Merle and Daryl.

"In case you haven't figured it out yet, this is my daughter Clarissa and my wife Hannah." Jess said pointing to the two women standing with him.

"Welcome." Hannah said while Clarissa gave a smile and a handshake.

"Normally the boys don't ever show up with anyone…It's kind of nice to see someone who isn't a sweaty mess like Merle and Daryl." Clarissa said.

"Hey little lady…don't get smart with the Doc or I'm gonna be sure to get her to give you a shot." Merle quipped, causing everyone to laugh.

Both Hannah and Clarissa were what Alyssa would describe as breathtaking and exotic. Hannah had a husky voice that could melt butter it was so smooth, and she possessed intense yet warm gray eyes. Her high cheekbones definitely let anyone know she came from a Cherokee heritage. Her hair was long and ebony and she had it pulled into a loose braid that cascaded over her shoulder. She was wearing a deep red dress and a black and white apron. Alyssa could only wish she was half as beautiful as the woman in front of her. She appeared much younger than Jess, but Alyssa couldn't be sure. If she had to guess she would say that Hannah was somewhere around forty.

Clarissa was almost as stunning as her mother was, but you could see she had her father's eyes and bone structure. The way that the young girl looked at her father you could tell that the two had a special bond, and with the teasing that went on between Merle, Daryl, and their cousin it was obvious that the family was close. Alyssa knew that it had to be difficult for both Hannah and Clarissa living in this area, especially because they came from a Cherokee heritage. The Cherokees had a reputation for living in poverty and propensity for alcoholism. The US Government had destroyed the once proud and industrious people, and as retribution they threw a few acres of second hand land their way and called them Reservations. It was a sad time in American History and it was one that no one really wanted to acknowledge.

The dinner that Hannah and Clarissa had prepared was nothing short of a feast. She had made a pot roast, glazed carrots, new potatoes, snap beans, macaroni and cheese, corn bread, and a strawberry cream pie for dessert. Alyssa thought she was gonna burst from consuming all of the delectable food put in front of her.

"Hannah, this food is absolutely delicious." Alyssa said as she rubbed her belly. Daryl looked over at her from underneath his bangs and she thought she saw him give her a small smile.

"Oh, this is just a Sunday tradition around here. I like to send the boys' home with leftovers so they don't have to worry about dinner for a night or two. With it being time for the harvest they are going to be so busy and tired that I want to do what I can to help out." Hannah relied.

Daryl suddenly blurted out "Alyssa's a mighty fine cook too. She made a rabbit stew that might have been better than my mama's."

That was something that Alyssa didn't expect. One, that Daryl spoke without being asked a question and two that he paid her a compliment and really liked her cooking. Suddenly images of her serving him a gourmet meal at her own table with fresh linen tablecloths and lit candles popped into her head. She literally had to pinch herself on the leg to stop the daydream from going further.

"Thank you Daryl, that means a lot." She said, blushing. Everyone in the room noticed the exchange between the two, and Hannah gave Jess a smile. Could it be that the extremely introverted Daryl had an admirer.

The dinner conversation flowed easily and Jess and Merle gave all the details of what it took to run the Dixon farm, along with the dynamics of how Jess and Hannah had met. They also discussed the struggles that Hannah and Clarissa had to deal with because of their heritage.

"The worse thing is Penny Blake. She looks down her nose at me all the time just because her family has money. We ain't exactly poor!" Clarissa blurted.

"Aren't poor Clarissa. Proper English goes a long way." Hannah corrected her.

"Yes ma'am. Anyhow, I do have a lot of friends at school like Sophia Peletier, Enid, and Carl Grimes." Clarissa told them, and Alyssa noticed that Clarissa's eyes sparkled when she spoke about Carl.

"There's also a new boy who moved here towards the end of the school year named Patrick. I think Enid likes him. He's a little strange and he wears glasses, but he is very nice. He seems to be shy like Cousin Daryl." She added, making Daryl clear his throat.

"I sat with Carl and his family this morning in church. They seem like really good people and Carl is a nice looking young man." Alyssa replied.

"Oh, um…I didn't notice." Clarissa said, obviously trying to hide her feelings for the teenage boy. Hannah made eye contact with Alyssa and they both fought back a small laugh.

Alyssa had told them her story of growing up in Jonesboro and her struggles helping the family run their small cotton farm. She also told them about how she ended up going to medical school and how there had been only one other female in the program. Nothing came easy to either of them, and they dealt with several obstacles because of their gender, but she was glad that she had chosen medicine as her profession. Jess let her know that he was impressed at her willingness to treat the black families that made up almost thirty percent of the town. "It shows what a strong character you possess."

"Thank you Mr. Dixon, not everyone around here is as accepting as you are." She told him.

"Like my asshole brother. Let's just hope you don't run into him." Jess said in a less than happy manner.

"Too late, she already got a taste of him when she got here earlier." Merle said flatly. That caused Daryl to look straight up at his brother with an angry look on his face.

"What did he say to her?" Daryl asked in a terse tone.

"It doesn't matter Daryl, I handled it." Alyssa said, detecting that Daryl was less than happy about her interaction with his father.

"Yeah, it does matter. Alyssa I am so sorry you had to deal with him. I promise I'm…. We're not like him." Daryl said in an almost desperate tone. Alyssa could see how worried he was that she would compare him to his father.

"Daryl it's fine…I promise. There is no doubt at all in my mind that you nor anyone else in this room are like him." She said, reaching out and taking his hand and giving it a gentle squeeze. Daryl thought his heart might explode upon the contact.

Jess then cleared his throat "Speaking of Will, I'd like to discuss something with you boys. Clarissa, you need to leave the room for this discussion." Clarissa nodded, cleared her plate and headed towards her room.

"I don't like to discuss family business in front of her." Jess said so Alyssa would understand why he had his daughter leave the room.

"Anyhow, I wanted to bring up the subject of Will. More than anything I want to throw him out of the house and off this land, but I can't because his name is on the deed. This land will belong to you boys and Clarissa one day, but for now it belongs to Will and I. Each year at harvest have been splitting the profits four ways, but this year I don't want to include Will. He hasn't done one damn thing this season, or if we are being honest, the last five seasons, and I am tired of paying him for what he doesn't deserve. Do either of you boys have a problem with that?" Jess asked.

"Not at all." Merle said in agreement.

"Just means he's gonna be going between us all begging money." Daryl mumbled.

"Well according to the contract we've had in place he is entitled to ten percent of the harvest because of land ownership. I've calculated we are going to pull around 8.40 a pound this season so that is gonna be somewhere around twenty-six thousand dollars after expenses. After we pay Will his ten percent that will still leave us each with seventy-five hundred to eight thousand dollars each." Jess said.

"Woo wee Uncle…that's a good haul." Merle said, thinking about what he could do to start his life with Beth. That would be a nice nest egg for sure.

"Wow we could never manage to get our farm to operate like that. My daddy was a good man, but he was horrible at farming and even worse at business matters." Alyssa said. "I'm willing to help out in my spare time if you would like."

All three men responded at the same time "No."

Jess then explained "Just so you know that was not intended as an insult because you are a lady. You said yourself you know how hard the work can be, and it's especially hard on the back and hands. You need your hands in the best shape possible for your profession so I think it's best you avoid farming unless you want to change up careers."

Alyssa nodded "I understand."

Then Hannah spoke "Don't worry honey, they are definitely gonna put Clarissa to work when the crops come in. She doesn't know it yet, and it's going to be interesting to hear her complain. It's only gonna be for a day or two, but we want her to appreciate what it is like to work hard."

"Can't wait for that day. Think I'm gonna call in sick" Daryl said softly, causing everyone to laugh.

"How long will the harvest take?" Alyssa asked.

"Takes us about two weeks working everyday, and then we will haul our load in trailers to Canton and be gone for two days while the market is open. After that it's a bit of rest and relaxation and then hunting and tending the cows until next spring." Merle said.

"I was thinking about adding poultry in the mix." Daryl said in an unsure voice.

"Yeah? Where would you put them?" Jess asked.

"Granddaddy's old barn. It needs a lot of work, but after we are done with the harvest I'll have the time." Daryl told his uncle.

"I can help you little brother." Merle said, impressed that Daryl had put thought into expanding the farm. Daryl didn't like to voice his opinions, mostly because growing up Will would usually chastise him or beat him, regardless if he had a good idea or not.

"Really, you'd do that?" Daryl asked with an optimistic voice.

"Course, it's a good idea and Mama used to love raising chickens as well. It's a good way to keep her memory alive." Merle said, encouraging his brother.

Daryl nodded, smiling brightly at his brother's support.

…

They all left Jess and Hannah's and headed back to Daryl's home so Alyssa could get her truck. Hannah had given all of them ample amounts of leftovers and Alyssa was relieved she wouldn't need to cook dinner tonight. Cooking for one was difficult for Alyssa and she always had a lot of food left over.

Merle carried his and Daryl's leftovers in the house, leaving Alyssa alone with Daryl. Alyssa found herself nervous all of a sudden in Daryl's presence.

"I want to thank you and Merle for inviting me to dinner this afternoon. Today might be the best day I've had since arriving here in Holly Springs." She told him.

"Won't nothing. I wanna thank you for earlier…and for not running away. I know I'm a mess and you managed to get me through it and fix my hand back up again." He said holding up his bandaged hand.

"Oh Daryl, that was my pleasure. Well I best be getting on home. I've got a new nurse starting tomorrow and I want to make sure I have everything cleaned up nicely for her." Alyssa said.

"Beth Greene…Right?" Daryl said.

"Oh yeah, that's right Merle said the Greene's were good family friends. Don't tell Merle this, but I saw him sitting with Beth this morning in church and thought he was her father." Alyssa confessed.

Daryl snickered. "That's a story we don't even want to begin to talk about. The good thing is that Beth is a real smart girl and as kind as anyone I've ever met, excepting you." Daryl told her, quickly looking down at the ground and blushing. This was so difficult for him.

"Thanks Daryl." Alyssa said as she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and got in her truck.

Daryl's head was spinning. Did she just actually just touch him with those soft and supple lips? No one other than his mother or Hannah had ever kissed him and Daryl didn't know how to respond. However, he was brought out of his stupor by the sound of Alyssa's truck motor sputtering. She continued to try to get it to start, but to no avail.

"Hey, do you mind if I lift the hood and take a look?" Daryl asked.

"Not at all…do you know much about mechanics?" She asked.

"I actually do…you have too around here to keep the tractors running." He told her. Daryl looked inside the motor, but nothing looked out of the ordinary.

"Why don't I carry you home and Me and Merle will take a look at it later, then we can bring it back to you. Will that work?" Daryl asked.

"I don't want to be any trouble Daryl." Alyssa said nervously.

"No trouble. You can get your office all cleaned up and before you know it Merle and I will have your truck ready for you." Daryl assured her.

"OK, that will work." She said as she got her bag of leftovers and her medical kit and headed towards Daryl's truck. He quickly took her bags from her and opened up the passenger side door for her to get into the truck.

"You are such a gentleman Daryl." Alyssa beamed.

Daryl almost let out a laugh. He wasn't a gentleman by any means, but Alyssa made him want to be. Daryl had rarely interacted with women, but when he did he had been drunk, crass, and selfish. He had refused to share anything as intimate as a kiss and what usually happened mostly involved his manhood getting serviced by some tramp Merle would send his way, and his hands groping awkwardly at the poor soul.

He did know enough about himself to know that he was a breast man, and God did Alyssa have the most perfect set he had ever seen. He could only imagine how they would look if he ever got the chance to see them up close and personal.

"Just doing what is right is all." He said as he forced himself to stop thinking about her breasts.

They rode back to Alyssa's home and office in a comfortable silence and it only took about ten minutes to reach her home from the Dixon farm. Daryl insisted on helping Alyssa take her things into the house and she allowed him to do so. He couldn't believe that just yesterday he almost had a panic attack at the thought of being alone with her in the truck, and today he was looking at any chance he could to spend more time with her. He couldn't explain the change, but he knew it all had to do with Alyssa and her kindness.

Once they were inside of her house he took a look around. It was a nicely kept home and he could tell everything had been re-furbished since Dr. Blake had let it fall into disrepair. The hardwood floors were new, and he could still catch the faint scent of paint. Her furniture was nice and comfortable, and she had everything tastefully decorated with pictures, vases, and doilies.

"I'd show you the view off the back porch, but I still haven't had a chance to get that fixed up and I think it's not very stable. On a clear day you can see the Mountains off in the distance." She told him.

"Do you want me to take a look at it? I'm good at building sh…things and I might be able to fix it up for you?" He told her.

"Really, Oh Daryl that would be wonderful. I would pay you a good wage and if you give me a list of things that you need I can go to the lumber yard and the General store and pick them up." She told him excitedly.

There was no way Daryl was going to turn this opportunity down. "OK, I will take a look at it and then I will come by tomorrow with a list." He replied almost too enthusiastically.

"Deal." She said. She was leading him back out to his truck when Carl Grimes came pulling up in her yard at ninety to nothing.

"Alyssa, dad said you need to come quick. The baby's coming and Dr. Blake is having problems." The teenager said in a panicked voice before throwing the truck in reverse and flying back towards his home without even thinking to take Alyssa with him.

"Get your bag Alyssa, I'll carry you over there." Daryl said as he rushed outside to open the passenger door and start the truck. Alyssa came running out of the house with her medical apron on and her bag in her hand and Daryl drove the truck as fast it could go towards the Grime's house.

When they arrived at the Grimes home, Rick was pacing out on the front porch with fear evident on his face. Lori's screams could be heard from outside and Alyssa and Daryl rushed inside the house with Rick following close behind.

Dr. Blake was not happy to see Alyssa "What are you doing here? I have this under control." Blake barked out. Based on the amount of blood Alyssa was seeing she could tell this was not a normal delivery.

"What's wrong?" Alyssa asked him, ignoring his angry tone.

"The baby isn't turned properly and can't progress through the birth canal." Dr. Blake told her. Alyssa could see how pale Lori was becoming and she became very concerned.

"Dr. Blake with all due respect, Mrs. Grimes is bleeding out. We need to transfuse her before she goes into hypovolemic shock." Alyssa said.

"Are you out of your mind? Transfusions are more dangerous than her going into shock. I need to perform a C-section and then everything will be fine." The older Doctor insisted.

"She won't survive the surgery if you don't transfuse her. I have a blood typing kit with me and we can test everyone in this room and find a match. " Alyssa once again. "In fact I'm O negative and I can donate regardless of her blood type."

"No, I will not allow you to practice that witch craft on her. I've been a doctor for over twenty years and I have delivered a lot of babies in this town." Blake yelled.

Rick spoke up "Dr. Blake, Alyssa is just out of medical school and she may be aware of more modern procedures."

Alyssa took a look at Lori and could see she was seizing "Rick, you and Carl need to get out of here now." Quickly Alyssa pushed past Blake and began to check Lori's pulse, but couldn't find one. Lori wasn't breathing and she couldn't detect a heartbeat.

"Move!" Alyssa shouted as she went into her bag and pulled out a scalpel. Without hesitation she sliced through Lori's abdomen into her uterus and pulled the baby from her womb and cut the umbilical chord immediately. Daryl had a sheer look of terror on his face as he witnessed what Alyssa had just done.

"You waited too long you stupid butcher." Alyssa shouted at Dr. Blake. She was trying desperately to revive the infant and was sweeping the child's mouth while patting the baby on the back. As if by some miracle the baby began to cry and breath in air.

"Daryl, could you please grab me a towel?" Alyssa asked, and Daryl ran out of the room and returned just seconds later with a clean towel.

"Leave NOW!" Alyssa grunted at Dr. Blake.

Blake looked at her with a sheer look of hate. "This was an unfortunate complication, nothing could have been done."

"I disagree Dr. Blake." Alyssa said.

Then Blake attempted to grab her arm, but Daryl grabbed him first, letting him know if he went any further there would be Dixon hell to pay.

"I would appreciate that you think real long and hard about what you tell people about this event. You might have a lot to lose with you being so new and mistrusted by the people in this town. Do you understand what I'm saying?" Dr. Blake said to her in a very threatening voice.

"Get out." Daryl said angrily, standing chest to chest with Blake.

"Don't worry Dixon, I'm leaving, but I am warning you…nothing better come from this." Blake said, giving both he and Alyssa a sly smile.

Blake left without saying another word to anyone, leaving Alyssa the responsibility to tell Rick that Lori didn't make it.

Alyssa swaddled the baby and turned to Daryl "I'm going to tell Rick and Carl, but I don't want them to come in here and see this. I will clean it up as soon as I deliver the news. Daryl, they are gonna need someone to help them."

"When we get back to your office I'm gonna call Hannah, she and Clarissa can help out until Rick can find something more permanent. Might be good for Carl to have a friend around." Daryl said thoughtfully. He knew Hannah had helped out a few families in the past that had gone through similar situations and maybe if Rick knew there was help available it might make all of this a bit easier on him.

"Thank you again Daryl…I don't know what I would do without you." She said as she cradled the infant.

Alyssa walked out of the bedroom and into the front parlor where Carl and Rick were waiting. "Rick I am proud to present your daughter. It was Carl who took his sister first."

"Lori…how's Lori? I saw Blake leave…can I see her?" He asked. Tears sprung from Alyssa's eyes and she spoke the words she dreaded having to tell him "I'm so sorry Rick, but it was too late. She was gone before the baby was born. I had to cut Lori open to remove the infant so that at least she would survive."

Rick began to cry out "No, No, No…" The cries were reverberating through the room and Alyssa's heart was breaking for the kind sheriff. Daryl could only imagine the pain that Rick was going through. It brought back long buried memories of the day that his mother had passed many years ago. That was a pain that never left him.

"The body…I want to see the body." Rick insisted.

"Rick…" Alyssa said as she put her arm on his "Let me clean her up and then you can say your goodbye. OK?"

Rick nodded and then Alyssa caught sight of Carl. He was standing there stoically as a single tear slid down his cheek. He was cradling his little sister and trying to process what had just happened. This was the part of the job Alyssa hated. She just hoped she was handling it properly.

The little girl began to cry and Alyssa retrieved a small box of formula from her bag. She quickly explained to Carl how to make the formula and told him it would be best if he fed his sister soon. There was no way that Rick would be able to process what Alyssa was saying, and for now Carl was the one keeping it together.

Rick was pacing back in forth while Daryl and Alyssa went back into the bedroom and Alyssa began to prepare Lori's body while Daryl removed all of the bloody linens and began to clean up the mess. Neither said anything as Daryl rooted around and found another set of sheets and Alyssa stitched Lori's abdomen back up and then found some nice clothes to dress her with. It was so morbid, dressing a dead body, but it was proper and respectful and she knew Rick was in no condition to handle this responsibility.

…

When they left the Grime's house Daryl offered Rick his deepest and sincerest condolences. For someone as introverted as Daryl, words didn't come easy, but Alyssa appreciated the kindness that Daryl continued to show to not just her, but to everyone in general. He was a bit gruff, but his words were heart felt.

It was now late evening and a heavy summer thunderstorm was beginning to blow in. By the time they made it back to the house it was raining sideways. Daryl parked the truck as close to the front door as he could and ran around to open up the passenger door for Alyssa, telling her to run for he porch and open up the house while he retrieved her medical bag and carried it in. By the time they made it into the house they were both soaked to the bone.

"Do you mind if I borrow your phone and call Hannah and tell her what is going on?" Daryl asked.

"Not at all. I'm going to change my clothes and then I'm going to warm up dinner for us. You don't have to be home at any particular time do you?" Alyssa asked, realizing how stupid that sounded.

Daryl let out a small laugh "No, Merle's pretty lenient about my curfew."

She gave him a light smack on the shoulder and headed upstairs to clean up and change her clothes. Alyssa threw on a simple floral housedress and put her hair into a quick braid. There was no need in trying to fix it up this late in the day. She hoped Daryl wouldn't be disappointed to see her dressed so casually. She padded her way back down the stairs and saw Daryl standing there, soaking wet.

"Hannah is going to stop by before heading over to the Grimes, and she said she was going to bring me a dry set of clothes." Daryl told her awkwardly.

"Hold on a minute." Alyssa said as she disappeared for a moment upstairs and then returned with a quilt.

"Take your wet clothes off and wrap this around you. There's no need for you to just sit there soaking wet. When you are done take a seat on the couch and I will bring you a plate."

Daryl was a bit hesitant but he finally nodded in agreement. His clothes felt heavy and uncomfortable and he definitely wanted out of them. There was a small bathroom in the medical office, so Daryl went in there and removed his clothing but left on his boxers…they were damp, but not soaked, and then he wrapped the quilt around him. He walked back into the main house from the office and Alyssa once again instructed him to take a seat on the couch.

A few minutes later she presented Daryl with a plate of the leftovers from Sunday dinner and sat down on the couch beside him. "Do you mind me sitting here?"

Hell no he didn't mind her sitting there so close their bodies were almost touching. He was beginning to feel flush from the closeness of her and Alyssa must have noticed "are you feeling OK Daryl? You look like you might be running a fever again." She said as she reached up and felt his forehead. Fortunately it felt fine.

"I'm good…it's just been a busy day." He said quietly. Even seeing her dressed so casually he couldn't get over how beautiful she was.

"Tell me about it. I know I've said it several times today Daryl, but I do appreciate everything you have done." Alyssa said, as suddenly the weight of what happened at the Grimes house came crashing down on her. The next thing she knew tears were sliding down her cheek and then she began to sob uncontrollably. This was not like her but she couldn't hold it in any more.

She was crying…Oh God she was crying. What was he supposed to do? Daryl had never been in this close of proximity to a girl before while sober, and now she was falling apart in front of him. She was so brave doing what she did today and she didn't hesitate one moment to stand up to Blake. How could she be crumbling like this? Then he realized that Alyssa genuinely cared about all of her patients, and losing someone like they lost Lori today had to be killing her.

Daryl took a deep breath, placed his plate down on the sofa table in front of him, and then ever so carefully wrapped an arm around Alyssa and pulled her close to him. Her cheeks were resting on his bare shoulder and he could feel the warm tears against his skin as her body shook with her sobs. He then took his other arm and wrapped it around her as well and began to gently pat her on the back. It was not a natural movement for him, and it was more like he was petting a dog than consoling a woman, but it was the best he could do at the moment.

Alyssa knew that she was putting Daryl on the spot and she felt guilty. She didn't want to have this breakdown in front of him, but he had been so kind and caring with her today that for the first time in years she felt like she had a friend she could confide in. Daryl wasn't going to offer up an awe-inspiring speech by any means, but he was willing to listen and console her. He had been there, and he knew how hard it had been to do what she had done. They experienced the circle of life and the little girl was born while her mother had died. The child would never know her mother, or the chaos of the situation that brought her into the world, but Alyssa knew she had done the right thing so that the little girl would have a chance to live the life her mother would have wanted her too.

"You did real good today." Daryl said softly to her as he patted her on the back.

"You did too Daryl. Have you ever been around someone when they passed before?" She asked curiously.

"Yeah. My mother." He told her.

"I'm sorry Daryl." She said as slowly began to slip out of his embrace and wipe the tears from her face.

"I was four when it happened. She had appendicitis and she didn't tell no one until it was too late. I was holding her when she died and they said I wouldn't let her go. I remember some of it, but I don't remember too much that happened after she passed." He told her.

"Was your family there with her when she died?" Alyssa asked.

"My father's parents were there, and Me and Merle. Her parents didn't want anything to do with her after she married my dad. He got her in the family way when she was only fourteen." Daryl told her.

"How old were you when she got sick?"

"I was four and Merle was twelve. He's eight years older than I am, and Jess is only eight years older than he is, and my dad is eight years older than Jess. Kinda funny huh?" Daryl chuckled.

"You know what's even funnier?" She asked him.

"What?" He said, curious to hear what she had to say.

"I'm eight years younger than you? I was born on July fourth 1908. Daddy used to tell me that the whole country got to celebrate my birthday." They both let out a laugh, but Daryl couldn't help but wonder if it was some weird sign that maybe they were destined to be together. They were only two days shy of being exactly eight years apart. He wouldn't have guessed that Alyssa was thirty years old, but he was glad she was a bit closer in age.

Hannah and Clarissa came by a short while later and Alyssa handed her another box of formula and thanked her profusely for both dinner earlier in the day and for helping out with Rick and Carl. Hannah informed her that they were more than willing to help out the Sheriff and they left shortly thereafter.

Daryl changed into his dry clothes and folded up his wet items to take home. "Do you wanna listen to the Mercury Theatre Radio program with me tonight before you leave?" Alyssa asked him.

If Daryl was at his house he would be about to listen to the same program and decided it would be nice to listen to it with Alyssa. She seemed like she didn't really want to be alone, and he guessed he wouldn't want to either after what happened earlier. He nodded and sat down on the couch beside her and they began to listen to Orson Welles and the drama entitled "Abraham Lincoln". They both agreed that Mr. Lincoln was not a very beloved character in the South, but the Drama was intense and well scripted, so they both enjoyed it.

"I'm reading Margaret Mitchell's 'Gone With the Wind' in my spare time." Alyssa told Daryl.

"Ain't they gonna make that into a movie?" Daryl asked.

"Yes they are…I can't wait. I hardly ever get to go to the picture show, but I will make it a point to go see that one. A good part of it takes place in Jonesboro where I'm from." She said excitedly, smiling for the first time since earlier in the day.

"I tell you what, I'll take you to go see it and we can watch it together." Daryl said without thinking.

"Why Mr. Dixon…Did you just ask me on a date?" Alyssa teased, but deep down her heart was about to beat out her chest and her stomach felt like it was full of butterflies. What she couldn't see was the shy man sitting beside her was feeling the exact same way.

"I think I did, but we don't have too if you don't want too." He said, quickly pulling back inside of himself.

"No Daryl, I would really enjoy that…but there is something you need to know…I've never been on a date in my life. This would be my first. I've never even kissed anyone." She confessed.

"That makes two of us." He replied back to her.

"Well maybe we should practice a few times before the movie comes out?" She said letting out a nervous giggle.

Daryl couldn't believe this was happening. He simply nodded "Sounds like a good idea to me. Next Friday the fair is coming to town, would you like to go with me?"

This time it was Alyssa who became shy. She looked down at the ground blushing furiously, "I'd love too."

Daryl didn't fight the smile that came to his face after her response. This would be the first date for both of them…. And then when she said something about practicing…did she mean the kissing too? He was suddenly terrified, but at the same time he had never been so happy in his life as he was in this moment.

Well I've been updating this story much better than I have the other ones in the past. I hope you are enjoying this as much as I am writing it. There is plenty of action that will be coming in the future chapters, but for now I am building up the back-story…If you have any suggestions I would love to hear them. I plan on some flashbacks into Daryl's past and of course there is much more to come with Merle and Beth.

 **I want to give a special thanks to JeanF, ArcheryLefty, and KOTG, as long as my guest reviewers.**

 **Please feel free (and I encourage it *wink wink) to leave me a review and let me know what you think. There may be a motorcycle in future chapters. I am also trying to weave actual historical events happening at the time into the story as well to give you a good idea of what life was like at the time.**

 **Thank you so much for your support.**

 **Missy**


	5. Chapter 5

Another storm was beginning to roll in when Daryl decided it was time to leave Alyssa's and he realized her truck was still at the farm, and if she had an emergency in the middle of the night she would not have any transportation.

"Why don't you take me home and then you can keep my truck until we get yours ready?" Daryl asked as he stood to depart.

"Um, that's OK Daryl, I am not that good at driving at night. I'll be fine." She replied.

"Naw, I feel bad about leaving you stranded. I'll call Merle and have him pick me up. I promise it ain't no problem." He assured her.

The lights began to flicker, as the wind was howling loudly outside and when Daryl tried to call Merle, the phone line was dead.

"I reckon the storm has knocked out the phone lines. I'll try again in a few minutes." Daryl said. It was already eleven at night and he was beginning to worry about the improper assumptions folks would make if they saw his vehicle still parked in front of Alyssa's house.

"Daryl, I know this is going to sound very forward, but maybe you should just stay here tonight. With the storm going on like it is outside it probably isn't safe for you to be out driving anyhow. I can prepare you some chamomile tea like we spoke about earlier and if you have another…"She didn't want to say nightmare, but he shook his head knowing what she meant.

"What you saw this morning was as bad as it gets, and they don't happen that often, but if it does, just do what you did today, it seemed to help…it was better than when Merle does it." He said trying to make the atmosphere a bit lighter.

"What does Merle do?" Alyssa asked curiously.

"Um, he's punched me a couple of times, tackled me to the ground, and thrown cold water on me. Not exactly how you wanna wake up after you've been flailing around in terror." Daryl admitted.

Alyssa let out a giggle "Not that it's funny, but you are right. Merle doesn't exactly strike me as subtle."

"To say the least." Daryl replied. He realized that he was actually having a conversation with Alyssa, and he wasn't second guessing himself like her normally did and he was managing to keep eye contact with her. This was a first for him and he liked this little bit of newfound confidence. What amazed him the most was the fact that Alyssa was a nice girl with good morals and she was still willing to give him the time of day.

"Look, I'm out of here before the sun comes up tomorrow. The last thing we need is someone seeing me leave or seeing my truck here in the morning. I don't want to risk your reputation…Holly Springs is a small town and people talk." Daryl told her.

Tell me about…She thought to herself. "I'm not really worried about my reputation Daryl, but if it makes you feel more comfortable, then that will be fine. I'm just sorry my truck has caused this mess." She told him.

"It ain't no problem doc." Daryl said giving her a soft smile that caused her heart to flutter.

Alyssa disappeared for a few minutes then returned with some blankets and pillows and set the couch up for him to sleep on. She had also filled the teakettle so she could brew the tea for Daryl. The house was a bit stuffy since they couldn't open the windows because of the storm, but she retrieved a couple of fans from the basement and turned one on in the living area where Daryl was going to sleep. She then placed one by the stairs to take up with her when she retired for the evening.

"Do you mind if we listen to the Dorsey Brother's on the radio before we go to sleep? Between the Tea, the trying day I've had, and the music I should be down for the count shortly." She told him.

"Sounds real good." Daryl said as he sat down on the sofa that Alyssa had fixed up for him. The teakettle began to whistle and Alyssa got up to make their tea. She presented him his tea in a porcelain teacup with delicate flowers. It reminded him of the cups that used to be in his grandparents home before Will had pretty much destroyed anything and everything that was left behind.

"This tea is not too bad. I ain't really had hot tea before." Daryl told Alyssa and she smiled back at him.

"Good, because I want you to drink some every night before you go to sleep. Tonight will be a good test to see if it works." She told him.

They finished their tea and Alyssa retrieved Daryl's cup and brought it into the kitchen and washed up the dishes. Daryl was assembling the couch so he could lie down and Alyssa went to turn off the radio.

"Do you mind leaving it on? I'm enjoying listening to it." He told her.

"Not at all Daryl." If I don't see you before you leave in the morning I want to thank you for being there with me today at Rick's, and for defending me against Blake. It didn't go unnoticed. I enjoyed spending time with you and I'm looking forward to Friday." She said, blushing as she finished speaking the last part.

"No problem at all ma'am. I've enjoyed your company too." He said cordially. Alyssa made her way upstairs to her bedroom and Daryl fell back into the pillows, noticing the slight hint of lilac wafting from the fresh linens. His stomach had a twinge of anticipation of what Friday would bring. For once, he couldn't wait for the week to get over.

…

Daryl awoke shortly before sunrise covered in a light sheen of sweat. This time though, it wasn't because of a nightmare but it was because of a very inappropriate dream he had about Alyssa. He could feel his erection straining against him and could not remember the last time he woke up this way. It had to have been twenty years ago or more. And the most incredible thing, Daryl didn't have a nightmare or dream about the War at all the previous night. Other than the uncomfortable tightness in his pants, he hadn't woken up feeling this good in a long time.

He looked out the window and noticed it was still dark, then checked the time on the clock. It was four-thirty in the morning and he decided it was the best thing for Alyssa if he left before anyone saw him exiting her home in the light of day. People would jump to conclusions and Daryl didn't want that for her. He knew they thought he was white trash, but he didn't want Alyssa's virtue questioned.

Quietly he made his way to the restroom and relieved himself (a little more difficult this morning because of his arousal) and then he neatly folded the blankets and pillows she had provided for him the night before. He found a piece of paper and a pen in Alyssa's office and wrote down a quick note:

 _Thank you for your hospitality. Will bring you your truck later-Hope you have a good day. -DD_

…

Alyssa had caught herself checking on Daryl some time around two in the morning. Her mind had been racing with thoughts of the man taking her on her first date within the week. He was quiet and shy, but there was strength to him as well. He had been suffering in relative silence for nearly twenty years and she was determined to help him through these struggles. She would research and find out all she could about sleeping disorders and see if she could find anything about men struggling after returning from war. She had grown up hearing stories about men who had fought for the South during the civil war that returned and were never the same, and yet no one ever thought to try to help them. There had to be a way to get him over this trauma and she would do everything she could to find that solution.

When she checked on the farmer she was pleased to see him sleeping peacefully, a fully relaxed expression on his face and it made her heart warm. This was how she wanted him to be when he was awake, and just maybe they were making the first step towards that goal.

Alyssa made her way back upstairs to her bed and snuggled herself into the sheets. The storm outside had let up and she opened up the window allowing a cool breeze to flow into her bedroom. She once again found herself thinking about Daryl, and soon fell asleep with a soft smile on her lips. Feeling this attraction to another man was something very new for her, and she liked how it felt.

…

When Daryl arrived home at five in the morning, he had the pleasure of being greeted by Merle who was already awake, getting ready to go milk the cows. A big grin was on his older brother's face and Daryl knew he was about to be grilled.

"Well look what the cat drug in." Merle said.

"Just stop Merle." Daryl said, trying to hold back a smile.

"You left here yesterday afternoon and come rolling in at five in the morning, I'd say you have a bit of explaining to do baby brother. Did you finally get to use that thing between your legs that I was concerned might fall off of ya?" Merle teased.

"Stop Merle. You know Alyssa ain't like that. When I took her home yesterday she had an emergency call and I had to take her over to the Grimes House." Daryl said.

"Yeah, Hannah stopped by and told me what happened. It's a damn shame that baby girl ain't gonna have no momma." Merle said sympathetically.

"Blake killed that woman, ain't no doubt about it. Alyssa had to do something pretty brutal to save the baby though, and she showed a side of her that I couldn't believe she had. She is one tough lady, and I thought Blake was going to hurt her, so I stepped in and let him know he couldn't." Daryl informed Merle.

"You know how I feel about the asshole. I also think he's a quack. Maybe folks will start coming to their senses and realize Alyssa is the better doc around here." Merle replied in a hopeful tone.

"Of course she's a better doctor, she went to a real medical school and got a real degree. She charges less and she don't discriminate against anyone. She genuinely cares about her patients, not about the money or prestige like Blake does." Daryl said proudly.

"Well we both know there are some people that won't go to her because they don't trust her because she's a woman, and also because she treats the Coloreds'. Ain't no bother to me, but this is Holly Springs and not everyone is as accepting as we are." Merle said in a matter of fact tone.

"Reckon your right." Daryl responded.

"So I'm still trying to figure out how you ended up home this morning instead of last night. You said there weren't no fornicating taking place, so I think you need to do some more explaining to your big brother." Merle insisted.

"After we left the Grimes' Alyssa was pretty shook up. We got to her house and the first storm came in. It soaked us both through and through and after she changed she had me strip down and wrap a quilt around me." Daryl told Merle.

"Oh, this is getting good. So you were naked with the doc?" Merle said slapping himself on the knee.

"No Merle, kept on my boxers and like I said I was wrapped up good. Hannah came by and brought me a change of clothes. Alyssa asked me to listen to a radio program with her, so I obliged…and then I did something I ain't never done before…I asked her on a date for the County Fair next Friday, and she accepted." Daryl practically shouted. Merle couldn't get over the joy and excitement in Daryl's voice.

"So you finally manned up…good work brother. She's a pretty one for sure." Merle complimented.

"Merle, I ain't never been on a date, and neither has she. I don't know what the hell I'm supposed to do." Daryl said, suddenly nervous.

"First thing is not to panic. Finish telling me how you stayed out all night and then we can talk about dating advice. We got all week." Merle told him.

"Oh, well after the radio program the storms came in again and I didn't want to leave her without a way to get around if there was an emergency. I told her she could take me home and keep the truck, but she said she couldn't drive well at night and said it might be safer if I didn't either. She fixed up the couch for me, we listened to some music, and then she prepared me some of that tea she was talking about. I gotta admit I slept real good for the first time in a long time." Daryl admitted to Merle, leaving out the part about being sexually aroused by a dream he had about Alyssa.

"That's good to know little brother. I'm proud of ya. I got some news for ya too. I'm going to Beth's tonight for dinner, we're gonna tell her family about our intentions to court." Merle informed Daryl.

"Aw Hell Merle, I wouldn't be surprised if you came home with an ass full of buckshot. Hershel's gonna have a stroke." Daryl said in a concerned voice.

"It doesn't really matter what Hershel says, we just hope to get his blessing. Beth and I have decided we want to be together and what everyone else says doesn't matter. She's an adult, and there isn't much anyone can do. It may not be as bad as you think though, Hershel accepted the fact that Maggie is engaged to the China Man that runs the General Store in town." Merle said.

"I don't think he's from China Merle, I believe he is Korean, and he's a nice guy who doesn't have the reputation you do. I'm just warning ya, be prepared to run." Daryl said laughing.

"Dixon's don't run…in your case they may keep a low profile, but we stand up for what we believe in." Merle said proudly.

"Well before you go to your own funeral I need ya to help me fix Alyssa's truck and take it back to her." Daryl said.

"I fixed it ten minutes after you left yesterday." Merle told him.

"How did you manage that?" Daryl asked.

"It's easy when you know what is wrong with it. Let's just say the distributor cap might have been a little loose." Merle said.

"Why did you do that? She needed to get home." Daryl said.

"Oh don't get your panties in a bunch, it ended up working out real nice for you didn't it? Just figured you two needed a little alone time together and thought that might be the best way of speeding things along." Merle said laughing out loud, as he was damn proud of his little plan.

Daryl let out a sigh and shook his head. He really needed to thank Merle for his little trick, but he wasn't going to give him the satisfaction. He really did love his brother at this moment though.

…

Alyssa woke up just as the sun was rising and quickly ran downstairs to put on coffee just in case Daryl was still asleep. Unfortunately, he had already left and she felt herself more than just a little disappointed. "Get a hold of yourself Alyssa, he is being a gentlemen." She told herself.

Beth wouldn't be starting for another two hours, so Alyssa took the time to straighten up her office and made sure everything was organized. She found Daryl's note and put it in her pocket. She then went back into the main house, scrambled upstairs, put the note in her nightstand, and poured herself a hot bath. After enjoying the warmth of the water a bit too long, she got herself out of the porcelain claw foot tub and toweled herself off.

She wrapped the towel around her and went to her dresser drawer and pulled out her garters and silk stockings. Her stockings were the one luxury she allowed herself to have and she took extra careful care of them when she washed. She fought with the garters and pulled on the stockings, and then wondered what she would wear. Daryl was going to come by some time to return her truck and she wanted to look special for him. She pinned up her hair, and then finally decided on a straight white skirt and an emerald green blouse with matching white heels. With September just around the corner she decided to take advantage of her ability to wear white while she still had it. After all, she was a proper southern lady.

Her family may have been typical Southern farmers who struggled to make ends meet, but her Mama taught her the importance of always being proper. Maybe it was a hindrance and a bit old fashioned, but it was all she had left from her mother and she was going to do her best to make her mother proud. That meant Church every Sunday, keeping a neat appearance, proper courting, learning home making skills, and keeping herself chaste until marriage. She hoped that if things progressed with Daryl, he would be understanding of her values and respect them. Based on how he acted with her last night, she felt deep in her heart that he would treat her like a lady and that he would understand her beliefs.

Beth showed up on time dressed in a formal nursing uniform with her white dress, pinafore, and cap. Alyssa didn't think she had ever seen a prettier nurse than Miss Beth Greene. Beth had impressed her when she inquired about the job that Alyssa had posted in the Holly Springs Gazette. The girl had a kindness and genuineness to her that Alyssa rarely saw in girls Beth's age. She possessed maturity as well that gave Alyssa confidence that Beth would react well in case of an emergency. She couldn't have asked for a better candidate. Beth may have looked younger than her twenty years, but her poise and confidence level was like that of women ten years older.

Then there was the other little item that Daryl had mentioned to her yesterday. When Alyssa mentioned to Daryl that she thought that Merle had been Beth's father, Daryl hinted that there was much more to the story. Alyssa had seen the doe eyed look Beth was giving Merle, and caught the two briefly holding hands. It didn't register with her at first, but could it be that her new young Nurse could be in love with the older Dixon brother? Suddenly that made sense and Alyssa laughed to herself. Yes, Merle was much older than Beth, but he had a rugged manliness to him that was attractive to females. He also had a very charming personality and struck her as the type of man that once he fell in love with you, it would be forever.

Alyssa gave Beth the tour of the office and explained where she kept the supplies and medications. After she was done explaining how she had everything organized, she then pointed to the small desk beside hers and told Beth that would be her area for handling paperwork. She explained the filing system and then went over how she liked the patient charts filled out and Beth nodded in understanding. After they were done both ladies took a seat at their desk and waited for their first patient.

The office was quiet and Beth then spoke "I heard that you had dinner yesterday with the Dixon's…Merle spoke very highly about you."

"They are good people, I can't deny that. Well most of them." Alyssa replied.

"I take it you met Will. He's a horrible ungodly man." Beth stated.

"You could say that again. I did enjoy myself though. Merle is so charming, and Daryl is so quiet, but sweet as pie." Alyssa said. "I couldn't help but notice Merle was sitting with you in Church yesterday morning."

"Yes, he's a family friend." Beth replied quickly.

"Is he now? Are you sure it's not more than that?" Alyssa said giving Beth a knowing look.

Beth's face turned red, "Well for now it has to be."

"Beth, you don't have to hide feelings you have for Merle from me. I know what I saw yesterday, and that was you see him as much more than a family friend." Alyssa told her.

"It's complicated. We haven't told anyone yet, and with his reputation around here, I'm not sure how my daddy will take it. I guess we will find out tonight." Beth said in a serious tone.

"What about the age difference?" Alyssa asked.

"Daddy can't say anything about that, he's thirty two years older than my momma. My sister Maggie was born to Daddy and his first wife Josephine, and my brother Shawn is from my momma's first marriage. She was widowed before Shawn was even born. Daddy lost Josephine about the same time and the two of them became good friends to support each other through their grief." Beth explained.

"I personally like Merle quite a bit, and what he did in the past shouldn't weigh on the person he is now. I can see he cares a lot about his family, especially Daryl." Alyssa said, causing Beth to smile.

"Daryl and Merle are like night and day. Daryl is so inward, almost haunted. I wish he would come out of his shell, but Merle said something bad happened to him during the War. I don't know the details, because Merle won't tell me out of respect for Daryl. I do know they returned to Holly Springs as heroes and were even both awarded Silver Stars, but neither brother will talk about it. It's heartbreaking because Daryl deserves to be happy." Beth said.

"You think a lot about the Dixon boys don't you Beth?" Alyssa asked.

"I do. I've been around them for as long as I remember, and they have always been good to me, Even Daryl. I just wish he could find someone." Beth mused.

"I have a confession…Daryl asked me on a date for Friday night to the County Fair." Alyssa said. She normally didn't share so much personal information with someone she hardly new, but she could tell Beth was a kind and non-judgmental person who genuinely cared about Daryl, and she really needed someone she could confide in. They would be working together closely so why not be honest with the young woman.

"What? Oh my goodness…really? Did you accept?" Beth asked excitedly.

"I did. Daryl is a fine man, just very shy and introverted. He's opened up with me a little bit and the more I learn about him, the more I like him." Alyssa confessed.

"I don't think Daryl has ever been on a date. Even before the War. Merle said that Daryl has no sense of self worth after all the things that Will did to him." Beth replied.

"Like what type of things? Wait, I don't want to put you on the spot. Just answer this for me, was he abused in some way by Will?" Alyssa asked.

Beth nodded sadly. It wasn't a secret, but it also wasn't something anyone openly spoke about. Beth's own Daddy even knew it was going on but chose to turn a blind eye to it. It had happened with Merle shortly after Nellie Faye had passed away, but Merle was older and could defend himself. Daryl was just a four-year-old child when it started, and didn't stand a chance. If it hadn't been for Merle doing what he could to take care of Daryl, Daryl most likely wouldn't have survived to adulthood.

"Alyssa just be gentle with him, this is all new to him." Beth said trying her best to get her concern across to the doctor.

Alyssa let out a laugh "Well it should be a real interesting evening then because I've never been out on a date before. I've always been so busy just surviving and trying to make a career for myself I just never had a chance to date. In fact, Daryl might be the first man I've ever even really noticed." Alyssa told the girl.

"He is very handsome…just a little rough around the edges. I'm glad he met you, this will be good for his confidence. Maybe if things go well with my family tonight Merle and I will see you there." Beth said in a hoping voice.

"They should go fine with your parents as long as you are up front and honest. Anyone can see that Merle is a good man. I am hoping nothing but the best for you. So I do have a question though…what are you going to do if things don't work out?" Alyssa asked.

"I'm still going to be with him. Heck, we might even elope. We could go up to Canton to the courthouse, or we could find a preacher to perform the ceremony. I wouldn't want to put Reverend Samuels on the spot though, so it would have to be another preacher." Beth said.

"What about Father Gabriel? He's the pastor of the A.M.E church in East Holly Springs." Alyssa told her.

Beth let out a laugh "I never really thought of it, but it would be quite the scandal around here, and I bet Merle would love that."

Both women started laughing and Alyssa knew that Beth would be a good friend. Each day that Alyssa stayed in Holly Springs, she was becoming much surer she had made the right decision. This was now truly beginning to feel like home.

…

As the morning progressed, several patients had stopped in for treatment. Beth had successfully taken care of a dog bite case, two burn victims, a stomachache, and a possible pregnancy. Beth would perform the initial diagnoses, and then Alyssa would follow up. It allowed things to flow smoothly, and Alyssa could spend her free time reading her medical journals. She had been searching for anything she could find that might help Daryl with is trauma. After a few hours of reading she came across an interesting article in an older journal that discussed British Soldiers returning from the war suffering from something deemed as 'Shell Shock'. The symptoms were similar, but there had been a stigma attached with the diagnosis. She closed the journal and marked the page. At least now she had a starting point.

When their last patient left at lunchtime, Alyssa closed the door and put an "Out to Lunch" sign on the handle. Alyssa led Beth into her kitchen and motioned for her to take a seat at the dining room table. "I went ahead this morning and started lunch for us to eat. I hope you like chicken salad with sliced cucumbers and tomatoes. My vegetable garden is producing like crazy and I haven't found the time to start canning yet. Maybe one night this week."

"I love fresh vegetables, and if you need any help with canning and pickling, I'm more than happy to help. I know it can be a lot of work for one person." Beth said.

"I'd appreciate any help I can get. How about Wednesday after we are done with work? I would love the company and maybe you can give me some advice about dating a Dixon." Alyssa replied.

Just as Alyssa was about to sit down to eat, they heard a vehicle pull up in the yard, followed by another. Alyssa went to the window to see who was outside and a big smile crossed her face. It was Merle and Daryl returning her truck.

Alyssa stepped out into the yard "So you figured out what was wrong with it?"

Merle then spoke, daring Daryl to say anything "It was just a loose distributor cap, must have happened when you were driving down the path to the house. It was an easy fix once we found out what it was."

"You don't know how much I appreciate you both doing this for me. Why don't you come in and have lunch with Beth and I, I've made plenty." She said. And she had made plenty in anticipation of Merle and Daryl stopping bye. She assumed if they didn't make it for lunch she could send them home with left overs.

"Sounds mighty fine to me." Merle said about tripping over his feet to get inside to see Beth, leaving Daryl and Alyssa alone out on the porch. He marveled at how pretty she looked in her emerald green blouse, and those long legs enveloped in silk stalkings.

Daryl was looking down again in nervousness and Alyssa spoke "Daryl, look at me."

He lifted his head and peered out behind his shaggy hair. "You don't have to be nervous around me OK. Nothing has changed since last night, except now I know the truth about Beth and Merle."

"You do? Are ya mad I didn't tell ya?" He asked.

"Not at all, why would I be? It's their business not yours…plus I think they make a good pair. They obviously care a lot about each other. Beth told me tonight would be the night they tell Hershel. Boy would I like to be a fly on the wall for that one." Alyssa joked.

"I might be bringing him back up here later on needing you to pull a bullet out of him. Hershel's gonna have a fit." Daryl said.

"I wouldn't be so sure. Hershel strikes me as a pretty open-minded guy. You might be surprised." She said reassuringly.

"Hope your right." Daryl said.

"Now come inside and have some lunch. And just so you know, I've been thinking about Friday night since I went to bed last night. I'm really looking forward to it." She told him taking his hand and guiding him into the house. The contact sent flutters through out his entire body as he realized Friday night was really going to happen and he couldn't believe she hadn't chickened out yet.

…

Merle walked nervously up the front steps at the Greene Home. He had been here dozens of times in the past, but this was the first time that there was something truly at stake. Beth had told Merle to show up at six thirty, and she would handle the rest. She was just going to tell her family that she had someone that she had been spending time with and they wanted to begin to court each other.

When Beth had told her parents and her siblings this bit of news, they all expressed joy for the youngest Greene. Maggie asked who it was, and Beth just told her that she would have to wait and find out. Maggie guessed either Jimmy Ellington or Zach Ellis because both were young men who had popped up at the farm in the past. Jimmy had actually taken Beth to their Senior Dance, and Zach had inquired about Beth after she had left for college. Either boy would have been fine with Maggie and she was excited to find out who it could be.

Shawn was less excited about the idea of Beth dating. He had always been protective of his little sister and in his eyes no one would be good enough for her. Shawn would actually leaving for boot camp in the next month. He had decided that joining the Navy was a good way for him to be able to leave from Holly Springs and establish his independence. He tested well and was going to officer training in Norfolk, Virginia. Annette was crushed that her only son was choosing to leave town and move so far away. His presence on the farm would be missed, but Hershel assured her that Shawn was a grown man and this would be good for his character, plus it would allow their son a chance to travel the world. It did little to alleviate Annette's fears, but she knew she had to let her son make his own decisions.

Annette had spent the last two hours preparing a special dinner for Beth's surprise guest and when six-thirty arrived, the knock on the door had everyone holding their breath in anticipation. Hershel stood up to allow the guest into their house and was surprised to see Merle Dixon standing on the front porch.

"Merle…what a surprise. I thought you were someone else. We're expecting a dinner guest that Beth has invited tonight. What can I do for you?" Hershel asked in a polite tone.

Merle was speechless because he didn't know what to say or how to respond. Fortunately Beth came into the foyer and took her father's arm. "Daddy, Merle is my guest."

If Merle hadn't been so nervous, he would have let out a good laugh at the look on Hershel's face. To say the older man was surprised would be an understatement. Finally Hershel was able to speak "I see. Why don't you two follow me into the dining room."

The rest of the Greene family was already seated when Merle walked in, and the room fell into an awkward silence. Annette greeted Merle "Hello Merle, what brings you around this evening?"

"Merle will be joining us for dinner tonight Darling. Beth has invited him as her guest." Hershel said. Maggie actually dropped her fork and Shawn almost spit out his sweet tea. Hershel gave both of his older children a look of warning that told them not to say anything.

Merle sat down uncomfortably and Beth sat down beside him, quickly taking his hand underneath the table and giving it a squeeze. "I do appreciate you allowing me to join you for dinner. I can tell by the looks on your faces I wasn't exactly who you were expecting." Merle said.

"That's an understatement." Maggie said under her breath and then catching another warning glance, this time from Annette. Hershel asked everyone to join hands and he gave the blessing so they could begin to eat.

You could cut the tension in the air with a knife. The only noise that could be heard was the clinking of the silverware as everyone ate his or her dinner. Merle could feel his heart about to beat out of his chest and he wondered if this was some cruel joke God was playing on him, and that he would drop dead in the Greene's dining room. Beth must have sensed Merle's nerves because she moved her hand back under the table and this time she began to pat Merle's leg. Just her gentle touch calmed his nervousness. He had come to the conclusion that no matter what her family thought that Beth Greene was the woman for him. They were both hoping to get the family's blessing, but if they didn't receive their acceptance, then they would proceed with the relationship anyway.

After Annette served dessert Hershel asked Maggie and Shawn to excuse themselves so that He and Annette could speak with Merle and Beth. Maggie looked like she wasn't about to budge, but Shawn stood up and escorted his older sister with him upstairs. Once they had left, the tension eased a bit.

"So Merle, do you mind explaining to me how you and Beth have come to this decision?" Hershel asked.

"Hershel, you know Beth has been coming around the farm since she was just an itty-bitty little thing. There was always a special light that surrounded that little girl…a goodness that you know Daryl and I never got to really experience growing up the way we did. We both would look forward to her visits, and we both know there isn't much Daryl looked forward too. As she grew up, I began to see Beth as something different than just a little girl, and that really left me conflicted. I ain't gonna deny that there is a sizeable age difference and I really fought those feeling for her. When she went away to school I truly thought I'd never see her again, but made up my mind that if I did, I would be honest with my feelings for her. We got letters from her every week while she was away, and those letters were the light of my day. When she showed up after graduating, I thought my heart might explode. I was gonna finally man up and tell a woman that I had true feelings for her, but she beat me to it and confessed she had feelings for me too." Merle explained.

Hershel's facial expression didn't change and that had both Beth and Merle worried. "Daddy, what he says is true. I've had feelings for Merle for a long time, even before I left…but I didn't think he would ever reciprocate those feelings." Beth said in almost a pleading tone.

Hershel finally looked at them both. "Merle, I've known you your entire life, and I know that it was not an easy time growing up like you did." Merle let out a sigh…did this mean Hershel was going to give them his approval?

"I know what it is like to be raised with an alcoholic father and it's difficult. I took to the bottle when I was married to my first wife Josephine and I quit when Maggie was born. But you Merle, you started following in your father's footsteps and I haven't seen too much proof of you turning yourself around. The drinking was bad enough, but you turned to a life of crime that landed you in prison, and I won't even bring up the many women you have been linked with, and not in a Godly way. Son, I like you, and what I'm about to say is not personal, but I can not give you and Beth my blessing to see each other. Not now at least. A few months' of sobriety isn't enough for me to be convinced you have Beth's best interest. I'm sorry." Hershel said as he stood up.

"Daddy- that isn't fair. Do you think I don't know what Merle's past involved? I'm a grown woman and I don't NEED your blessing to see him. If I want to be with Merle, then I'm going to be with Merle. I've never met a man that has made me FEEL the way he does. I love him." Beth said trying to fight back the tears but failing miserably.

Merle quickly grabbed Beth into an embrace to try to comfort her.

Annette jumped to conclusions and that just made the situation worse "Oh Beth, please tell me you haven't given this man your virtue."

Merle got angry at Beth's mother's assumption. "With all due respect ma'am, I told you I had true feelings for your daughter and I'm a little disappointed that you have made the same assumptions about me that everyone else has. I promised myself I would keep your daughter pure until I made her my wife. I might be a Dixon, but I do have some sense of morals." Merle said as he stood up, and then Beth surprised everyone by standing up as well.

"I am out of here. If you won't allow me to be with the man I love, then I can't stay here any longer." Beth said angrily.

"Beth we are trying to look out for your best interest." Hershel said pleading.

Merle looked at both Annette and Hershel, hurt evident on his face. "Beth, get your things and meet me outside." He told her. Beth nodded while wiping the tears from her face.

"Hershel, I will make sure your daughter is safe, but if she doesn't want to be here anymore, than I don't want her to be. I will keep doing what I have to do to prove to you I am worthy of Beth, but we have already spent too much time apart and neither of us is willing to be apart anymore. I hope you understand, but I suppose you won't. Just know this, one-day, and I hope that day is soon, Beth will be my wife and I will take good care of her. She deserves to be happy and I will do everything in my power to provide her that happiness." Merle said as he walked out the front door and waited by his truck for Beth.

He could hear Beth and Maggie fighting upstairs, and it was breaking his heart for Beth to know that her family wasn't willing to support them, but he wasn't going to let them win. Hershel hadn't given them a complete "No"…just more of a "not now".

Five minutes later Beth came out of the house with two suitcases and another bag tossed over her shoulder. Merle made his way to her and relieved her of her luggage. "We'll get the rest of your things later. Are you OK baby girl?" He said as he once again gathered her into an embrace.

Beth nodded, tears once again slipping from her big blue eyes. "Where am I going to go?"

"Don't you worry sweetheart, I've got an idea." He assured her as he opened the door to the truck and helped her get situated.

Once she was in the truck Merle drove to town right to Alyssa's house. He took Beth by the hand and led her up Alyssa's porch. It was nearly eight-thirty and he could see that the living room lights were still on. Merle knocked and Alyssa answered the door. She greeted them with a look of concern.

"Is everything OK?" She asked seeing Merle and Beth.

"Beth doesn't want to stay at home no more and I was wondering if she could stay with you until we get things straightened out?" Merle asked in almost a desperate tone.

"Of course she can, come in." Alyssa said as she wrapped her arms around Beth. Merle ran back out to his truck and grabbed Beth's things.

"Merle you can take those upstairs and place them in the second bedroom on the right." Alyssa instructed.

After Merle went upstairs Alyssa had Beth sit down beside her on the couch. "I assume things did not go well with your family."

"That is an understatement. Daddy said he doesn't trust that Merle will stay sober and he wouldn't give us his blessing." Beth said crying again.

"How did Merle handle it?" Alyssa asked, concerned Merle might have acted out in anger.

"Like a gentleman, much better than me." Beth told her.

"Well that should go a long way with your Daddy. Beth you can stay here as long as you like. It will be nice to have the company and it will make it easier if we have off-hour emergencies. I should have suggested it earlier." Alyssa said, comforting the younger girl's anxiety.

"Thank you Alyssa. I understand what Daryl sees in you. I'm so happy you two seem to have connected." Beth replied.

Merle came back down and Alyssa told them she was going to the office to do a bit of reading. She wanted them to have some privacy so they could discuss the events of the evening together.

She sat down at her desk and pulled out her book to continue researching and reading about "Shell Shock." She found herself missing Daryl and really wanted to hear his voice. She knew he had a telephone and against her better judgement, she decided to place a call.

"Hello" he answered.

"Hi Daryl, I hope it's not too late." She said.

There was a few seconds of silence. "Daryl are you there?"

"Sorry, I was surprised is all. Is something wrong?" He asked. Obviously telephone conversations were not easy or common for him.

"No, I just wanted to hear your voice. Merle is over here right now with Beth." She informed him.

"He OK?" Daryl asked.

"I think so, it didn't go well at the Greene's. It sounded like it could have gone worse, but they were not accepting of he and Beth dating." Alyssa informed Daryl.

"I knew it, they ain't no different than anyone else around here." Daryl said, anger lacing his voice.

"I don't think it was quite that bad. It had more to do with Hershel being concerned that Merle hadn't been sober long enough and that he wanted Merle to prove himself a bit more, but Beth wasn't willing to wait." Alyssa replied.

"Hmmm…you're right, it could have gone worse. It ain't exactly a no…just more of a wait and see I reckon." Daryl said.

"Hold on a second," Daryl told her as Alyssa heard a pounding on Daryl's door.

Alyssa heard shouting in the background, and it had her concerned. She realized it was Will that was doing the shouting. She suddenly became concerned.

"You fucking back stabbing little bastard. You think you boys and your Uncle can cut me out of my fair share of this year's crop. Like hell you son of a bitch." Will shouted.

" _Just a minute old man, you haven't done one God Damn thing around here this season to plant or harvest the crops. If you ask me the ten percent you are getting is still too much." Daryl said and then Alyssa heard the undeniable sound of flesh hitting flesh._

" _Get off me" Daryl shouted._

" _Don't let yourself think you are too old to get a beating." Will threatened as Alyssa could hear the jingle of what sounded like a belt buckle._

Daryl then came back to the phone "Alyssa, tell Merle to get home quickly…Will's on a rampage and I need his help so I don't kill the bastard" Daryl said angrily. She then heard Will swearing again, followed by the sounds of glass breaking, Daryl letting out a grunt of pain, and then the phone line went dead.

 **So this chapter went a little longer than I expected. I really wanted to get to the date, but it just wasn't going to happen. So next chapter will be their first date as well as the beginning of some action in this story.**

 **Back before PTSD was a diagnosis, the soldiers that suffered mental breakdowns after WWI were diagnosed as having "Shell Shock"…and it was considered a sign of weakness. I am going to get more into this as the story goes and Alyssa works on helping Daryl through his trauma.**

 **Also- I want to give a big shout out to JeanF, Zaii, KOTG, CaptainMC, Tie228, Guru115, and my Guest for the incredible reviews. I really hope more people read and get to enjoy this story.**

 **Y'all might get a kick out of this, but I am actually listening to music from the 1930's to keep the mood true to the time LOL.**

 **Take Care and thanks for reading. Please feel free to leave me a review…the are quite the motivation.**

 **Missy**

 **XXOO**


	6. Chapter 6

Alyssa ran into her living room "Merle you have to get home quick. Will's at Daryl's and it sounded…violent."

"Shit, Jess must have talked to him today." Merle said as he grabbed his keys and ran out to his truck.

"Wait, you're not going alone." Alyssa said as she grabbed her medical bag and ran after Merle with Beth following.

"Come on then y'all, there is no telling what the old man is up too." Merle said with a concerned voice.

Merle drove with reckless abandon and literally slid into the path that led to the Dixon farm, nearly taking out the mailbox and the fence at the roadside. Beth and Alyssa were being jolted wildly in the cab of the truck as Merle sped down the path, turning into Daryl's driveway and then running out of the truck so fast that he didn't even close the door.

The trio burst into the house to find it in a disheveled mess. Daryl was on his knees straddling his father while relentlessly beating the older man. Alyssa noticed immediately that Will was barely conscious and his face was already swelling with the assault that Daryl was thrusting upon him. Normally Alyssa would feel bad for a victim being beaten so aggressively, but knowing that Daryl had suffered abuse from the man just left her feeling somewhat pleased that Daryl was giving his father a bit of a payback.

Merle quickly pulled Daryl off of Will "Daryl, stop before you kill him…you don't want to do time on account of this asshole."

Daryl had a glazed over look on his battered face. Alyssa could see that Daryl had a good size gash under his eye that looked exactly like a belt buckle, and she spotted another matching bruise on his arm, as well as a droplet of blood seeping through Daryl's undershirt. Daryl might have had the upper hand in the fight with his father, but it definitely appeared that Will got a few good licks in as well.

Merle was trying to talk to Daryl to find out what specifically had happened and Daryl was not responding. It was if he was looking through Merle. Merle placed a hand on Daryl's shoulder trying to get his brother to look at him, but Daryl swatted away Merle's hand and then ran out the front door, not saying a word to anyone. Alyssa looked at Merle concerned "Has this happened before?"

"Not in a long while. Daryl moved out of the house and fixed this place up to get away from the Son of a Bitch." Merle informed her.

Will was moaning and speaking incoherently and Alyssa looked up at Merle "Can you and Beth help get the couch upright so we can rest Will on it? I need to examine him." She said.

"He's hardly worth your time Doc." Merle said.

"No, I want to get him taken care of and then I will look at Daryl. Merle can you try to get him in here and put him in his room. He doesn't need to be around this man right now." Alyssa barked out.

Beth couldn't help but giggle at how bossy Alyssa became at a time of crisis. Should could definitely see how the medical training Alyssa had received prepared her to handle emergency trauma with such ease.

Merle and Beth quickly turned the couch upright and then Merle headed outside to find Daryl. Beth began to clean up the mess and Alyssa opened her bag, pulled up a chair so she was sitting directly in front of Will, who was now seated on the couch…scowling through a swollen nose and swollen eyes.

Alyssa gently touched the mans face to see if she could feel any broken bones and was immediately rewarded with her arm being grabbed roughly. "Don't fucking touch me bitch." The older man said through gritted teeth.

Alyssa was not intimidated "Listen to me and listen close. You have some pretty bad bruises on your face and I'm pretty sure your nose is broken. If you don't want my help, then fine…it won't bother me one bit if you suffer in pain. But I will tell you this-your skin is jaundiced and the sclera of your eye is yellow as well and your belly is distended like a women expecting a child. That tells me you have some serious liver damage and if I had to bet money I would say you have Cirrhosis. I can help you manage it so you don't drop dead within six months, or you can continue to be a jerk and suffer. It's your call." Alyssa said in a terse tone.

Will didn't say a word so Alyssa took that to mean he would allow her to examine him. She was pretty sure he had a fractured cheekbone, that she wouldn't be able to repair and a broken nose for sure. She pulled out a cloth and Beth brought her some warm water so she could clean up Will's face. Not one single word was exchanged between the two while she checked the man over. Merle appeared without Daryl just as she was finishing with Will and Alyssa was now more concerned about the younger Dixon.

"Is he gonna live?" Merle asked.

"He needs to rest, and he needs to stop drinking immediately or you are gonna be burying him shortly. He also needs a bath badly. His nose and cheekbone are broken, but there isn't really much we can do about that. " Alyssa said as she reached in her bag to give the man some pain medications and came across a bottle of aspirin. A devious thought crossed her mind just briefly; a couple of Aspirin with Will's liver issues could end his life quickly. Daryl wouldn't have to suffer at the hands of this man anymore and society would be relieved of this blight on humanity, but when it came right down to it, Alyssa wouldn't be able to live with herself.

Merle reached down and pulled his father up off the couch "Get up you sorry bastard-you're going home and I don't wanna see your ass down here again. One more incident like this and you ain't gonna be living on this farm no more." Merle threatened.

Will grunted, his eyes full of disdain and hatred, but he followed Merle outside so Merle could bring him back to his house. Alyssa stood up and told Beth she was going to find Daryl.

Once she was outside she wasn't sure where the heck Daryl could have gone. His truck was still in the driveway, but there was no sign of him anywhere. She was worried about the man, and even more concerned that Daryl was struggling with how he processed his emotions. The attack on Will was probably a long time coming and there was no way she could blame him for what he did to his father. She was even briefly thinking of something to rid the man from Daryl's life.

A quick flash of light caught her eye and she soon smelled the scent of cigarette smoke wafting her way. She headed down to the dairy barn and found Daryl sitting on a hay bale, smoking a cigarette, and hanging his head down. The only light in the barn was coming through the open doors from the full moon illuminating into the building.

"Daryl?" She said his name softly.

There was no response.

"Daryl please talk to me." She told him.

"Just leave Alyssa. I can't be around decent people…I'm no better than _**him**_." He whispered.

"Who? Your Father? Trust me you are so much better than him." She said as she approached the broken man.

"I ain't. You see what I did to him. What kind of man is capable of almost killing his own father?" He asked.

"Well what kind of man abuses his own child?" She asked, watching as Daryl's body stiffened.

"How do you know about that?" Daryl asked with a bit of edge to his voice.

"Daryl, In my career I've been trained to observe things, and I've seen some of the physical damage that he has done to you, and I'm sure it's probably worse than what I've noticed. There isn't anything to be ashamed of, and none of it's your fault." She told him.

Daryl let out a huff. "Don't need your pity." He got up and then stormed out of the barn and into the house, leaving Alyssa standing there with her mouth open.

"Damn him. He's his own worse enemy." She said in a frustrated tone. Alyssa took a deep breath, turned around and then headed into the house after Daryl. When she walked in Beth pointed to Daryl's room and Alyssa nodded in affirmation. She stood tall, straightened her shoulders, and then opened the door and entered. The room was dark but she could see Daryl's silhouette resting on the bed with his head down and his knees pulled up to his chest.

"Leave Alyssa-we ain't gonna work out." He said in a gravely low tone.

Alyssa felt like she had just been punched in the gut and she could feel tears welling in her eyes. She took a deep breath to compose herself.

"You don't get to do this Daryl…I'm not giving up on you. I just wish you would talk to me." She pleaded.

"Nothing to say." He replied stubbornly. Alyssa reached up and pulled the string to turn on the light in the room. She stepped out quickly, retrieved her bag, and then returned. Daryl hadn't moved. She then sat down on the bed beside him and took his injured hand to examine it. There was a small amount of blood seeping through the gauze, so she unwrapped it to check the stitches.

"You've popped a single stitch, but I'm not going to re-stitch it." She told him. He still refused to speak or look at her so she proceeded to take a cloth and an anti-septic from her bag and gently cleaned up his knuckles and the gash on his face.

"How did you get the gash on your cheek?" She asked.

"Belt buckle." He said simply.

"Can you lift up your shirt so I can look at the cut just below your ribs?" She asked.

"I can take care of it myself." He told her gruffly.

"Stop it Daryl. I'm a doctor and I am more than capable of taking care of it as well as the cut on your arm. Is that from the belt buckle too?" She asked.

"Yeah, just like old times."

"How old were you when it started?" She asked him.

Daryl was silent for a bit and the tension was beginning to grow in the room before he finally whispered "Six was the first time he hit me with the belt. Merle was fourteen and had figured out that staying away meant he didn't get beat. Guess I was the second runner up."

"Don't let what other people did to you in the past define who you are Daryl. You said you were just like him, but do you really think you could ever beat your own child? You had every right to defend yourself against your father tonight and no one would dare think otherwise. You shouldn't either." She told him. What she said must have resonated with him because he leaned forward, took of his plaid button down and slipped off his undershirt and allowed her to exam his cut.

"I'm just going to clean it up and put a bandage on it. You're gonna be sore tomorrow, but your Father is going to feel a whole lot worse." She said with a smile on his face.

"Good, he deserves it." Daryl said as he winced a little when he felt the cold antiseptic being applied across his rib cage.

Alyssa saw Daryl's scars up close but didn't say anything. What could she say? Daryl didn't want pity and she didn't want to give it to him either. There were several that crossed his back, and some had scar tissue on top of scar tissue and she knew that Daryl had suffered horrifically. It was sad, but she had to make Daryl somehow realize none of it was his doing. Somehow in his thirty-eight years Daryl convinced himself that anything bad that happened to him was his fault. She was going to figure out why and then maybe she could figure out a way to convince him that he was worth something.

"I think the cut on your cheek is below your eye enough that you will only have a scratch and not a black eye. It's not swelling and I might apply some ice to it for you just in case. I'll also give you an aspirin. Are you still taking the Sulfanilamide I gave you the other day?" She asked.

"Yes ma'am." He said. They could now hear Merle and Beth trying to pick up the mess in the other room.

"I reckon I need to go out there and help to get my house together." He told her.

"Well let's go Mr. Dixon." She said as she stood up and offered him her hand as he got up off the bed.

"Alyssa-I'm sorry for being an ass. I don't handle myself real well in situations like this." He told her.

"I know you don't, but considering all you've been through I think you do pretty good." She said offering him a smile.

…

It was two in the morning by the time they got everything cleaned up and put back in place. Daryl was going to need to replace two lamps and the majority of his picture frames. Alyssa had found one of the broken frames on the floor and Daryl pointed out that the picture inside was the only one of him, his mother and Merle, shortly before she passed. He had one other photo of her that was taken when she was the reigning Cotton Queen. She was very young in both photos and Daryl favored his mother much more than his father. Merle was the spitting image of Will Dixon, but Daryl was his mother's son.

"Ladies it's late and a thick fog has rolled in from the Mountains. I reckon we are gonna get a cool front or something. I'm thinking y'all might be better off to stay here with us instead of risking the roads this late at night. You girls can take my room, and I'll take the sofa. Any problems with that plan?" Merle asked.

Beth then answered "I don't think it would be deemed inappropriate…right?"

"Girly if you are looking for proper social conventions then you are most definitely with the wrong man." Merle said as he scooped Beth up into his arms and planted a very adult kiss on the blonde. Beth let out a squeal of delight at Merle's abrupt display of affection.

"Merle be careful with her…you're getting old and I would hate to see you drop our Beth on the floor." Daryl joked. Alyssa let out a laugh and Daryl's eyes lit up just a bit.

"Best be careful there baby brother…I ain't too old to kick your ass still." Merle joked back.

"Look I already went nine rounds tonight…I ain't about to do any more fighting for a good while." Daryl said and everyone nodded in agreement while Merle put Beth down and then clapped Daryl on the shoulder.

"Sorry I wasn't here brother…should have known the asshole would be wound up once he found out what was going on." Merle confessed.

"Ain't your fault…just glad you showed up when you did and kept me from killing him. Thankful for all of y'all" Daryl said sheepishly.

"I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm exhausted." Beth said.

"We'll turn in and in the morning we can go to the diner for breakfast." Merle said.

Everyone separated and Merle and Daryl gave each of the girls one of there undershirts to sleep in. Merle's swallowed Beth up, and Daryl's was large on Alyssa, but not to the extent that Merle's was on Beth. They all settled in and soon the house was silent.

…

The rest of the week went by relatively normal. Beth was settling in well at Alyssa's and Alyssa was happier then she had been in years. Daryl had ordered the lumber that would be needed to build Alyssa's back porch. Each day after working on the farm the Dixon men would clean up and head over to Alyssa's to eat dinner and then Merle would spend time with Beth (Including escorting her to Wednesday night Bible Study) and Daryl would work on the porch. Though technically not "dates" Alyssa was enjoying spending the time with Daryl. He seemed to become more and more confident with her as each day passed.

Towards the end of the week Alyssa was getting dressed when Beth came and knocked on her bedroom door. "Alyssa, we've got a lady and her little boy down in the office and she seems somewhat frantic. I told her I would come get you right away."

Alyssa rushed out of her room down to the office where Beth was trying her hardest to calm the woman down. "Hi, I'm Dr. Cambridge…what seems to be the problem?"

"My boy is running a high fever and I can't get it down and now he has a rash." She told Alyssa in a panicked tone.

Beth then added "I checked his temperature and it's one hundred and four."

"OK, when did these symptoms start?" Alyssa asked.

"Three night's ago. I thought I could get it down with an ice bath, but it only worked temporarily. This morning he had the rash." The woman told her.

The little boy had tears in his eyes and was quite lethargic. He seemed scared of Alyssa and when she went to touch him he began crying and clung to his mother. Alyssa began to speak to the little boy in soothing terms "Hi there little man…I know you aren't feeling well sweetie but I need to check you out to see what we can do."

"His name is Andre and I'm Michonne." The woman said when she realized that in her frantic state she forgot to tell Alyssa or Beth their name.

"Andre can you tell me if you hurt anywhere?" Alyssa asked the little boy. His response was to turn his head and not look at the young doctor.

She stepped away and went to the bottom drawer in her desk and came back with a little stuffed bear. She spoke to the boy again and when she showed him the bear his eyes lit up and he reached for it.

"Andre, what do you want to call him?" Beth asked the little boy.

"Theo." The little boy said, a smile crossing his face and a bit of relief showing on Michonne's features.

"So you hold onto Theo and let me take a look at you OK darling?" Alyssa said. The little boy nodded and Alyssa examined the boy. Michonne let her know that Andre was three and that things had been less than ideal at home.

"His daddy doesn't come around too much anymore. I don't want him there. He goes to the opium dens or the juke joints with his friends…he doesn't contribute to anything. I do what I can to provide for both of us." Michonne said.

Alyssa wondered what she meant by her comment. "Michonne, before you leave I would like to speak with you about something."

Michonne nodded. If Alyssa had to come up with a word to describe Michonne it would be stoic. She was reserved but exceedingly loving to her son and Alyssa could tell that her little boy was her entire world. Michonne was also a striking woman in Alyssa's opinion. She had silk like skin of a dark ebony and a bone structure that was almost regal. Michonne was most likely in her early thirties and her body exuded strength. One thing Alyssa also noticed was that Michonne was articulate. In the South that was rare for anyone, especially a black woman. She was dressed in a bright yellow dress with a colorful head wrap and carried herself with pride. There had to be more to her story than a simple sharecropper who got herself in trouble with an opium addict and that intrigued Alyssa.

As Alyssa was finishing up her examination of Andre a young man who appeared to be around twenty years old walked into the office. "Noah, we're almost done." Michonne said to him.

"Hi Noah, I'm Dr. Cambridge." Alyssa said as she introduced herself to the young man.

"Nice to meet you ma'am. Michonne's family and she needed a ride into town so I thought I'd bring her by and then run a few errands." The boy said politely.

"Well I do have good news. I think Andre has a case of Roseola. Nothing serious and not uncommon in small children. I will give you a salve to help alleviate the itching from the rash, and his fever should go away on it's own either today or tomorrow. In the mean time I suggest brewing a tea to help out. I am going to give you dried basil and ginger…they seem to work well for children. If the rash worsens or his fever doesn't go away, bring little Andre back and I will see what we can do." Alyssa told them.

"You said you wanted to speak to me?" Michonne reminded Alyssa.

"Um, yes…are you looking for employment?" Alyssa asked.

Michonne looked at her suspiciously, but finally nodded.

"Sheriff Grimes lost his wife a few days ago in child birth and he now has an infant and teenage son to raise on his own, while also struggling with the responsibility of being the Sheriff. I was wondering if I spoke to him if you would be interested in taking a position to help him out. Right now Mrs. Dixon and her daughter have been helping in the interim, but I know they would be eager to get back to their regular life." Alyssa said.

"Sheriff Grimes seems like a fair man, but would he be willing to have someone like me around his children?" Michonne asked.

"I will speak to him on your behalf. I am going to have Beth get all of your information and then I will contact you as soon as I know anything. Will that be OK?" Alyssa asked.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" Michonne asked.

"Because you are apparently a very intelligent and capable woman who could use a break. And I have a crush on your little boy." Alyssa teased.

"Thank you. I'll come up with a way to pay you for the visit today." Michonne whispered,

"It's not a problem at all. I promise I will get in touch with you." Alyssa told her. Michonne stood up to gather Andre and then she handed the teddy bear back to Alyssa.

"No you keep that." Then she turned to little Andre "Andre can you be sure to take good care of Theo? I want you bring him here to visit me from time to time…Can you do that?" She asked.

Andre nodded and then he reached out to give Alyssa a hug. Alyssa hugged the little boy back and couldn't help but give Michonne a big grin. "That's all the payment I need."

…

Maggie Greene was furious. She was at the General Store that Glenn and his family owned helping out. She had the day off from her job at the phone company and decided she would rather spend time with Glenn at the store than hang around her house these days. Since Beth had dropped the bombshell on her family about her intentions with Merle Dixon, and then her abrupt departure, there had been a dark cloud hanging over the Greene Household. Maggie was furious, Shawn said it wasn't his business and as long as Merle didn't do anything to hurt Beth he wouldn't interfere, and Annette and Hershel were both torn about what to think.

Annette liked Merle and saw the good beneath the rough exterior, and also saw how happy he made Beth. Since Beth had returned from school Annette saw the extra spring in her daughter's step and knew it had to have been a special someone who put it there and was surprised to see that it had been their neighbor Merle. But just because she was surprised didn't mean that she didn't approve. Hershel was the most conflicted. He really did like Merle but didn't feel confident enough that Merle had finally settled down. He never told Beth or Merle that they couldn't pursue their relationship, he just wanted them to wait until Merle could prove himself to the family. Now Hershel had nothing but regret at that decision. Beth had taken her things and left and her presence was greatly missed.

Hershel realized he had made a mistake. Josephine's parents had accepted him, even though Hershel was a wild as a bronco at the time they began to court…they had never asked Hershel to prove himself. It took Hershel a while too finally get his priorities straight, and it was the birth of Maggie that was the catalyst that sent him down the right path. Everything in his life changed that one day. It wasn't a gradual change it was a sudden one, and Hershel wondered if Beth admitting her feelings to Merle might have been the one time event that changed his life as well.

Now Maggie was stocking shelves when she overheard a conversation that infuriated her. Two older ladies that she did not know were gossiping in the aisle behind her and when she heard Beth's name come up she froze.

"Those Dixon boys have been coming to town quite a bit lately and I don't like it one bit." Old lady number one said.

"I know. That pretty little Beth Greene has gone and lost her head. Imogene said she had seen her and Merle holding hands in Bible study last night. I bet Hershel is about to lose his mind. His oldest daughter is _engaged_ to that Chinese boy that owns this store and she heard that Merle has Beth in the family way and they ran off to Canton and got married. She's ruined now…just ruined." Old lady number two said.

"The last thing we need is another Dixon running around town. I had hoped with Merle getting on up in years and Daryl being an imbecile that the bloodline would end. Guess I was wrong."

"Daryl has been seen around the new Doctor's house quite a bit the past couple of weeks. Figures though…she doesn't fit in around here. Doc Blake said she played a big part in Lori Grime's death and she thinks the Negroes should be treated equally. I know for a fact that I am not equal with those barbarians. If Daryl doesn't snap and scare her away I know some people around here that will. She's dangerous." Old lady number two stated.

"What is this world coming too? The next thing you know they will want the darkies moving into town. We have to do everything we can to keep them separate. I want this place to be clean, not infiltrated by their witchcraft and sinful lifestyles. I'm old enough to remember when they used to stay in their place, and even better, when families owned them. Now you've got people like that Doctor making them think that they are equals. If we aren't careful it's not going to be safe to walk the streets around here." Old lady number one said.

It took everything in Maggie's being to keep her from coming around the aisle and confronting the two old biddies. First of all, Glenn was of Korean heritage and not Chinese, and second of all his family sacrificed greatly to make it over the United States. All of them ran the store together, and even though Glenn's parents spoke limited English, they had embraced Maggie to their family. Glenn's sisters had both left town as soon as they were old enough and headed to New York for better opportunities. Charlotte, the older of the two girls was working as a secretary on Wall Street and Caroline had met and married a man who owned a Hotel, and was expecting her first child. Each girl would come to visit during the year, but Maggie couldn't blame them for their decision to leave Holly Springs. Glenn's parents had taken on Americanized names and his mother now called herself Violet after the flower and his father went by George. Mr. and Mrs. Rhee had taken all of their lives savings and paid for passage to the United States and then used the rest to purchase the store. The Rhee's had been wealthy in Korea, but the political unrest after Japan took over occupation led George to make the decision to move his family to a safer place. They originally arrived in California but made their way to Georgia and three years earlier they purchased the General Store after the original owner had passed away. People were reluctant at first to do their trading at the store, but the convenience and the lower prices that the Rhee's offered compared to the stores in Canton caused most people to put aside their prejudices. Now the Rhee's were one of the few well-off families in the area, but they were still social outcasts.

After the ladies left the store Maggie took off her apron and stormed out of the building and headed straight to Alyssa's. She was pleased to see that there weren't any patients currently in the office. Maggie burst into the office and saw Beth sitting at her desk while Alyssa was organizing the supplies in the Medical storage area.

"Beth you need to come home." Maggie stated in a matter of fact tone.

"Hi Maggie…good to see you too." Beth replied back dryly.

"We can fix all of it. You don't have to raise this baby with Merle and we can get the marriage annulled." Maggie told her.

Beth looked at her sister like she had lost her mind "What are you talking about?"

"I heard…um…I heard that you were expecting a child with Merle and you two had run off to Canton and eloped." Maggie said as her face was beginning to turn red.

Beth stood up angrily and pointed a finger at her sister "First and foremost, if I am expecting a child it would be the greatest miracle since Mary conceived Jesus. Not only did Merle and I not get married, he has not laid a finger on me in any way. Second of all, you've got a lot of room to talk. I've heard you and Glenn, Maggie, so don't pretend that nothing 'inappropriate' has gone on with you too. I know you two are engaged, but are you REALLY gonna wear white to your wedding?" Beth said smugly.

Maggie dropped her head in shame "It's not the same thing…I'm older than you and Glenn and I have been together a long time."

"Don't defend it Maggie. I've known its been going on and I never said anything and I have never judged you. You don't get to do the same thing to me. I've begged Merle to take things to a more physical level, but he down right refused because he said he wanted our first time together to be special…and he wanted it to be when I was his wife. I am so sick and tired of everyone assuming they know Merle Dixon. We love each other…just like you and Glenn and Momma and Daddy love each other. Do you Understand?" Beth said.

"I'm sorry Beth. People have been talking…and it ain't about just you. It's about Me and Glenn, and even Daryl and Alyssa." Maggie confessed.

Upon hearing her name, Alyssa popped her head out of the supply closet "What about Daryl and myself?"

Maggie turned around and looked at Alyssa. "Just that people think Daryl isn't right in the head and that they aren't happy that you treat the colored the same as you treat everyone else. Oh and that Dr. Blake said you played a part in Lori's death."

Alyssa huffed out in anger "Daryl is absolutely fine…maybe a bit shy and socially awkward, but why wouldn't he be? People talk about him like he is worthless and unintelligent. They have his entire life. So why would he act any other way? Why would he trust anyone? And as far as me being involved in Lori's death? Ask Daryl and he can tell you what happened. He was there and he saw every bloody detail of what happened."

Maggie couldn't hold back the tears anymore "I'm such a fool. I thought Merle was bad for Beth and I thought that Daryl was just…as you said, worthless. Beth, can you please forgive me?"

"Of course I can Maggie. You are my sister and I love you…but for now I think it is best if I try to have a go at things on my own." Beth said as she gave her sister a hug.

"You and Merle should come by for Sunday dinner. I think you will find that things are different now that everyone has had time to process that you two are together." Maggie told her.

"I'll talk to Merle and see what he says. In the meantime, if you hear any more rumors can you come to me first?" Beth asked her sister.

"You got it." Maggie said as she hugged her sister a second time.

…

Friday morning Daryl woke up and decided it was time that he did something he hadn't done in probably two years. He would go to the barber and get his haircut and a clean shave. He rushed around the farm finishing up his chores and then ran into town.

Jim's Barbershop had been around for as long as Daryl could remember. It was actual Jim Jr. running the place now and besides the ability to go in and get a haircut and shave, it was also the local hangout for men in Holly Springs to discuss matters ranging from the weather, farming, and of course, politics. Daryl had always avoided anything political, since to be honest it didn't really matter much to him. It made no difference who was in office, things in Holly Springs would never change as long as the same families lived in the area.

"Daryl Dixon I haven't seen you out in public in years." A rather sleazy guy from Holly Springs named Mitch said as Daryl walked into the shop. Mitch was about Daryl's age and Daryl never was fond of the fellow. His brother Pete was the complete opposite of Mitch, polite, intelligent, and even somewhat civic minded. The last the Daryl had heard about Pete was that he was on the school board.

"Mitch." Daryl said in acknowledgement.

"Actually now that I think about it I haven't seen Merle too much recently? Did you finally go off the deep end and kill the bastard? Mitch said loudly, receiving boisterous laughter from the others in the barber shop. Daryl now knew why he hated coming out in public.

"He's got his priorities straight and is busy running the farm." Daryl said not looking anyone in the eye.

"I heard that Ole Merle was putting the wood to the youngest Greene girl…that true?" Mitch asked. Daryl realized the guy seemed to get off to hearing himself talk.

"Why don't you ask Merle that question. Look I'm hear to get a damn haircut not to gossip like a bunch of girls." Daryl said effectively shutting Mitch up.

Jim then spoke so only Daryl could hear "Never mind that asshole Daryl…he just likes to wind people up. What can I do for you today?"

"Cut this mop on my head and make it look presentable, and I want a clean shave. I want all of it gone." Daryl told him.

"How about we leave a trimmed beard? You will look seventeen if I shave it all off. You are blessed with one of those baby faces Daryl." Jim told him. Jim had always been a quiet but honest guy and Daryl trusted him.

"Yeah, whatever you think will work." Daryl said.

While Jim was taking care of Daryl, Daryl had the unfortunate pleasure of hearing all the goings on in Holly Springs. The one dick head Sheriff's deputy, Gorman was all Daryl knew him by, came into the shop just as Jim was finishing up.

"Got news for you boys. The big man is in Holly Springs and there's gonna be a meeting tonight in town. It's about time we start cleaning up this place. It's finally beginning." Gorman said

Several of the men gave out a small cheer, while other's were clapping each other on the shoulder in approval. Daryl wasn't sure what they were talking about, but based on the look on Jim's face it couldn't have been good.

…

Daryl showed up promptly at six that evening to pick up Alyssa. He had been so nervous he could barely eat all day long. He wasn't sure why, because he had been spending time with Alyssa all week, but this time it was officially a "date" and it would be just the two of them for the most part. Merle and Beth would be at the Fair as well, but they were on their own independent date and Merle had told Daryl he would be better off figuring things out on his own.

When Alyssa opened the door to greet Daryl her mouth dropped. She could finally see Daryl's intense blue eyes without searching through a fringe of hair. He had his hair cut short and his face was neatly shaved with a nice trim beard. Daryl was wearing a pair of tan pants, and a nice crisp white button down shirt and a newer pair of boots and Alyssa detected a hint of cologne on him.

"Daryl…you look so handsome." Alyssa gushed.

Daryl blushed three shades of pink before he responded back to her. "You look pretty too." And she did. She had on a solid red dress with a V-neck collar, with a skirt that fell straight from the waist and hit her about four inches below her knee. It was very figure flattering and Beth had helped her pick it out. Since they would be doing a lot of walking she had picked out a pair of tan loafers so her feet wouldn't hurt. She had her hair down except for one side was in a rolled upsweep held together with a pearl comb and she had then finished off her look with a matching sterling silver pair of earrings, necklace and bracelet. It was delicate and reflected nicely against her skin. Her lips were painted ruby red and of course, she had her signature scent of lilac. Daryl had always thought she was beautiful, but tonight she took his breath away.

Daryl escorted her out to his truck and Alyssa was surprised to find Daryl had a bouquet of Daisies laying on the seat for her (Hannah had suggested it as a romantic gesture). "I made dinner reservations for us at The Depot" Daryl told her. The Depot was the fanciest restaurant in all of Holly Springs and dinner for the two of them would cost nearly ten dollars.

"Daryl are you sure? That's a bit pricey." She asked.

"Don't worry about that…I don't ever spend money, and with the crop about to come in it's time I splurge just a little. Besides it's a special night for both of us. I want your first date to be one you remember." He told her trying hard to keep eye contact.

"Thank you Daryl." She said as she gave him that smile that caused him to melt every time he saw it flash across her face.

They were seated at the restaurant and Daryl ordered a steak and sweet potato and Alyssa ordered baked chicken with vegetables. Their conversation flowed easily and Daryl felt himself very comfortable around the doctor.

"Do you think Merle and Beth will get married soon?" Alyssa asked Daryl.

"Probably. He was looking at house plans the other day and he mentioned building his own place down on the back acreage of the farm. My guess is next year at this time I'll be an Uncle. Merle's finally realized there's a lot more to life than loose women and drinking." Daryl told her.

"They look good together. Do you see yourself ever wanting children?" Alyssa asked, curious to know about Daryl's thoughts on the matter.

Daryl thought about her question and then nervously shifted in his seat "Never thought much about it to be honest. Didn't think I'd ever find anyone to consider settling down with. What about you?"

"I love children, but I never thought of myself as a mother. I guess I never really had a chance. Being an only child and having next to no friends I was never exposed to the idea much. But now that I think about it I think I would like it very much if I was with the right person." She answered honestly. Daryl thought he noticed her cheeks redden at the last part of her answer.

"You should have seen Jess when Clarissa was born. He would hold her like he thought he might break her when she was a newborn. Then he surprised us all after a few weeks and was just about as good at mothering the child as Hannah. Diapers, midnight feedings, the whole bit."

Alyssa laughed imaging the older Dixon changing a diaper. She then looked up at Daryl "I'm having a very good time tonight."

"I'm glad…I am too. Couldn't have asked for better company." Daryl said shyly.

The rest of the dinner passed by nicely and Daryl paid the bill, then escorted Alyssa out to the truck. It was nearly eight when they arrived at the Fair and it seemed that most people from Holly Springs were there.

Daryl bravely took Alyssa's hand and guided her around. They passed a few people that gave them unbelieving glances, but they both ignored the looks. At Alyssa's urging Daryl played a few of the games and won her a Kewpie Doll that she kept going on and on about, and then he finally convinced her to ride the Ferris Wheel.

Daryl purchased the tickets and then the two boarded the ride together. Alyssa held to Daryl's hand tightly and admitted she was a bit afraid of heights.

"Nothing to be afraid of Alyssa, I'm here with ya and I ain't gonna let nothing happen." He told her.

When the ride started with a jolt Alyssa grabbed on to Daryl like he was the difference between her life and death. Daryl tried to hide his smile, but Alyssa caught it.

"Stop it Daryl Dixon…I told you I was afraid of heights." She told him.

"OK OK." Daryl said holding his hands up in mock surrender only to have her grab his hand again and hold on tightly. After about two rotations Alyssa finally began to relax and she took in the sight of the small town below them. The moon was shining brightly and the sky was filled up with thousands of twinkling stars. They were up high on top of the ride when it came to a jolting stop and Alyssa let out a squeak.

"It's alright Alyssa, they are starting to let people off." He told her. She relaxed slightly and then leaned her head on Daryl's shoulder, taking in his masculine scent. She couldn't have asked for a better evening.

Daryl felt that this was an opportunity that he couldn't let go by. Without over thinking his next move he gently placed his hand on Alyssa's face and turned her so she was looking at him. With a boldness he didn't know he possessed, he softly placed his lips on hers and gave her a gentle kiss. At first he felt her body stiffen ever so slightly, but then he felt her relax and she leaned into the kiss. It was if the rest of the world outside of them did not exist. Daryl then carefully parted his lips and lightly ran his tongue against her lips, and much to his surprise, she reciprocated. Neither of them realized that the ride had started moving again and were both embarrassed when the ride operator let out a subtle cough to let them know it was time for them to depart.

Daryl once again took Alyssa's hand and the two of them decided that they had seen and done everything they had wanted to at the Fair. They walked out to Daryl's truck where Daryl once again kissed Alyssa and he told himself that this was something he never wanted to end. They were disrupted though when someone was banging on Daryl's door. Much to Daryl's chagrin, Merle was sitting outside trying to get his brother's attention.

"What do you want?" Daryl asked.

"Something's going on in town and folks are heading over to find out what it is. Saw your truck and wanted to see if you were here." Merle told him.

"Well I am here." Daryl said in a flustered voice. His body was starting to betray him and he wanted Merle gone right away. Then to make matters worse he saw that Beth was with him, a teasing smile on her face.

Merle finally figured out that he had interrupted his brother when he saw that Alyssa's normally perfect hair was a bit disheveled. "Um, anyhow, just thought I'd let you know what was going on."

"Thanks." Alyssa said trying to ease some of Daryl's tension. Merle finally left and Daryl let out a sigh.

"Sorry about that, his timing was always horrible." Daryl told her.

"It's OK Daryl. Maybe we should head back to town and see what's going on." She said not really wanting to end the evening.

"Yeah, you're probably right." He told her. "Alyssa there is something I want to tell you." He said in a soft voice.

Alyssa all of a sudden found herself nervous. "What's wrong?" She asked.

"Nothing is wrong Alyssa. Tonight was the best night of my life." Daryl told her giving her the biggest smile she had ever seen on his face. At that moment Alyssa Cambridge fell in love with Daryl Dixon.

Thank you so much for reading and I truly hope you are enjoying this story. Just for reference points, to figure out how much things cost in 1938 versus 2016 take the amounts and multiply them by 16. That means dinner would be nearly 160.00 now.

 **I want to give a special shout out to my guest reviewer and to Miss October 13 for leaving such nice reviews. I am glad to see I am picking up some faves and follows.**

 **Please let me know what you think or what you would like to see. Just a warning, next chapter is going to be very racially explicit.**

 **Hope I hear from you.**

 **Thanks-**

 **Missy.**


	7. Chapter 7

WARNING: Very derogatory racial terms below. I apologize in advance and promise that I don't wish to offend anyone. The Klan is in town and with it brings trouble.

By the time Alyssa and Daryl had made it to downtown Holly Springs a large crowd had gathered in the town square. It was close to eleven at night and Daryl thought it a bit strange that so many people were out and about at this late hour. There was a platform set up in the town square and when Alyssa noticed, it made her blood run cold. Twenty or so men dressed in white sheets with pointy hoods stood up on the platform and they all realized that the infamous Ku Klux Klan was here in Holly Springs.

Daryl felt Alyssa tense up and could tell she was more than just a little nervous being here. "Come on Alyssa, we don't have to listen to this." He told her.

"No, I want to hear what they have to say…I want to know what we are dealing with?" She whispered to him. Daryl reluctantly agreed, curious to hear what was going to be said.

"Y'all figured out what is going on yet?" Merle said, surprising both Daryl and Alyssa when they saw him standing there with Beth.

"All I know is its some kind of Klan rally." Daryl said in a disgusted voice.

"Bigoted assholes…what the fuck are they doing here?" Merle said angrily.

"Merle…language?" Beth said scolding him.

"Sorry baby, but this ain't right. They ain't no better than anyone else, and I ain't got no respect for anyone that feels the need to hide behind a mask." Merle told her, and Daryl nodded in agreement.

Daryl had always been more observant than the average person, and taking a look up on the platform he recognized some of the men adorned in the white robes and hoods. Some he recognized by their body language and shoes, and other's he recognized because he heard their voices. Mitch, the asshole he had seen earlier in the day was one of those.

Daryl froze when he saw the unmistakable worn out shit kicking boots that belonged to his own father. The way the figure swayed while up on that platform just confirmed it for him as well. He nudged Merle "Look's like we know where dear old dad has been sneaking off to lately." Daryl pointed to the figure that he knew was his father.

"Figured as much…seems ironic that a man who always called us weak and cowardly is up there hiding his face." Merle said as he shook his head in disgust.

A large crowd was still gathering when a very large figure dressed in robes a little different than everyone else stepped up and began to speak loudly. Daryl didn't know who it was, but what he did notice was the expensive silver tipped boots that the man was wearing. He had never seen anyone in Holly Springs wearing anything close to something that fancy.

"Citizens and Good Christian Men and Women of Holly Springs…We are here to bring about a change. Our way of life is being threatened and NOW is the time to take action and take back control of what is RIGHTFULLY ours!" The man shouted, receiving a few cheers from his accomplices on the platform.

"Unbelievable." Alyssa seethed out in a whispered anger. Daryl could see how visibly upset she was and once again asked her if she wanted to leave.

"No, I wanna stay and hear this." She again re-assured him. Sensing her turmoil, Daryl moved behind her, placed his hands on her shoulders, and gently pulled her closer to his body, almost protectively. Alyssa couldn't deny she liked how it felt.

The big man leading the rally continued to speak, garnering more and more support as he continued "Our Christian values are being challenged and it's getting to the point where our women can no longer walk the streets of this town without danger lurking. The government says that we are all equal, but that is FAR from the truth. They are Niggers, no better than wild animals that we are FORCED to accept. WE, the Glorious KNIGHTS of the Ku Klux Klan are here to make a difference…but we need your support, we need your loyalty, and we need you to be diligent. IF you know of someone who is sympathizing with these abominations, let someone know. SECRETS will destroy what we have worked so hard for. We the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan are here to defend our Schools, our Churches, our Land, and OUR SOUTH. LET YOUR SOUTHERN LOYALTIES BE KNOWN! WHITE MEN, JOIN OUR CAUSE NOW!" The man shouted, followed up by exuberant cheers from the crowd that they had successfully whipped into a frenzy.

Things were beginning to feel less controlled and both Merle and Daryl knew they needed to get Beth and Alyssa away from the mess before chaos broke out.

"We need to leave now." Merle said as he gripped Beth's hand tightly and Daryl began to lead Alyssa back towards where the truck was parked. They were making good progress getting out of the anxious crowd when suddenly everything went silent.

The entire town square was suddenly illuminated with a giant wooden cross blazing and the cheering volume elevated. Then a voice began to ring out.

"You are Nothing but cowards!" People began to look around to see where the voice of opposition was coming from and Alyssa looked up and gasped when she recognized that it was Noah, the young man who had escorted Michonne to the office just yesterday.

"YOU PEOPLE WANT A REVOLUTION- BUT YOU ARE GOING TO GET RETRIBUTION!" Noah yelled passionately.

Alyssa had to give the young man credit, his bravery at this moment was undeniable, but it was obvious that he didn't think his plan through. The crowd of people that was already frenzied were now almost Rabid to get their hands on the black teenager who represented everything they were being programmed to suppress.

"Get Him!" Someone yelled and suddenly Noah was now public enemy number one. Noah's eyes grew huge when he realized he didn't have an easy way out of the swarm of people and Alyssa could see the panic on his face.

"Daryl- We have to help him, he's just a kid." Alyssa pleaded. Daryl nodded in agreement and then yelled to Merle. He didn't have to say anything, Merle already knew what Daryl wanted.

"We need a distraction." Merle told Daryl. Beth heard him and she grabbed Alyssa.

"Come with me." The two girls ran in the opposite direction from where Noah had taken off too and as soon as they were on the far end of the town square, Beth let out a blood curdling scream and gave Alyssa the signal to do the same. Everyone stopped running after Noah and turned around to see where the screams were coming from and changed direction in their running.

"Help me…someone grabbed my purse and they…they…touched me." Beth said allowing panicked tears to run down her face. Alyssa had a total look of shock on her face that went along with the ruse that Beth was pulling, and began to play along with her.

"Beth, Oh my goodness, are you OK?" She screamed in a mocked terrified voice, praying that their plan would give Daryl and Merle the time they needed to get Noah to safety.

Fortunately it looked like they were successful. People were trying frantically to find the offender that had attacked Beth, and Officer Walsh had been summoned. He took down the report of the supposed attacker and people were repeatedly asking if Beth and Alyssa were OK. Once the crowd disbursed Shane pulled his report from his logbook and tore it up.

"I know what you two did." He said as he had obviously seen the holes in their story. This time the look of fear on the girls face was real.

He chuckled. "It's OK girls, you saved that boy's life tonight and your secret is safe with me." He told them in a reassuring tone, allowing both women to let out the breath that they had been holding.

Merle then appeared and had a confused look on his face when he saw Shane standing there. Shane gave Merle a nod and then a handshake "Everything is under control Merle. I'll let these ladies fill you in on what's going on." He told him as he left the trio.

Beth did as Shane suggested and told Merle what they had done and what Shane had done to help them out. Merle had to admit he was proud as hell at what his girl had done. She was a quick thinker and much smarter than he imagined any woman that would want to be with him could be.

"Where's Daryl?" Alyssa asked suddenly concerned.

"He took Noah someplace safe until things cooled down." Merle told her.

"Where?" Beth asked.

"Took him down to Pappy's old hunting cabin. It's about twenty mile from here. Boy's gonna be hungry 'cause we didn't have time to get him any rations, but he'll be alive. Daryl's gonna stay out there with him for the night then sneak him back home tomorrow. His people will know what to do to keep him safe, we just needed a place to keep him until things cool off." Merle told them.

Merle Dixon suddenly felt himself being wrapped in a bear hug by not just one, but both females. "Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Merle." Alyssa cried as she let social conventions go by the wayside and gave Merle a big kiss on the cheek.

Merle blushed furiously and Beth giggled at Alyssa's reaction. "Just make sure you show my baby brother the same type of gratitude. He's the one that took the biggest risk…just hope no one got too suspicious with him tearing out of here like he did."

Alyssa's joy was now diminished as she worried for Daryl. Shane had already figured out what was going on, and someone who saw Daryl leave suddenly, while leaving his date behind had to raise someone's suspicions. Especially since Daryl had never been seen on a date with anyone before and people were sure to notice.

"No need to worry yourself Doc…Daryl will be fine. Ain't no one gonna think twice about him up and leaving like he did. They'll blame it on his nerves." Merle told her, and for once Alyssa was relieved that people knew Daryl could be unpredictable at times.

What none of them realized is that one person saw everything happen but chose to keep it to themselves…for now.

…

Early the next morning Alyssa was woken up the sound of someone knocking on the door. She jumped out of the bed and headed downstairs where Merle was asleep on the couch with a shotgun in his lap. He had insisted on staying last night "just in case." Neither Alyssa nor Beth complained.

The person knocking on the door was none other than Daryl. "Daryl, come in" Alyssa said as she guided him into the house. "Is Noah OK?" She asked. Merle was waking up on the couch and looked relieved to see Daryl.

"Yep, took him home early this morning before sunrise. His people will keep him safe for now. This shit goes deeper than y'all realize." Daryl said.

"Hold that thought baby brother, I want Beth to hear this." Merle said as he stood to go upstairs and wake his girl.

"I'll start a pot of coffee and you need to sit down. You look exhausted." Alyssa told him pointing to the couch that had just been occupied by his brother. Daryl let out a weary grunt but obeyed Alyssa's command.

Merle came down the stairs carrying Beth bridle style. She was sleepy eyed and her hair looked like a nest of birds had taken up residence in it. She had on pink slippers and a pink robe and it was obvious that Merle had not given her a chance to fully wake up or fix herself up at all. Alyssa knew she didn't look too much better wrapped in her oriental red robe that she had purchased when she finished medical school. It was one of her few luxuries she allowed herself to enjoy.

Daryl might have been exhausted, but seeing Alyssa in that silky red robe woke parts of him up that did not to be awoken at the moment. The robe covered the beautiful woman completely, but it also clung to her body and showed off every curve she had. Daryl wished she had something a little more modest on like Beth, especially with Merle there, but Merle was so smitten with Beth he didn't seem to notice.

Once the coffee was finished Alyssa poured four cups and brought them to the living room with a jar of sugar cubes and pitcher of milk. Everyone was seated and then Merle told Daryl to start talking.

"So Noah knew the rally was gonna happen last night. There is a new teacher from Canton teaching at the black school over on the East Side who is also an activist who knows all the inter workings of the Klan in Canto. He's a white guy they call Jesus, but his real name is Paul Rovia. Obviously he ain't real popular with folks up the road that see him as a traitor and a sympathizer, but the guy don't really care. Anyhow, he heard that the Klan was moving into Holly Springs because the mayor was going to push heavily for integration." Daryl informed them.

"Dale? I can see him thinking like that. He's always been an honest and fair man." Merle replied.

"Well the Klan is not happy about it so with the election right around the corner they are making a push to find a candidate to defeat Dale. Any guesses on who that person might be?" Daryl asked. All three of them shook their head.

"None other than Butcher Blake." Daryl told them.

"Hell, Dale Horvath has been mayor of this town at least twenty years, but if anyone is gonna push him out of the office it would be Blake." Merle said as he scratched his head thinking.

"Trust me, this gets deeper. So y'all know Michonne and her situation with her kid's father?" Daryl asked. He had known Michonne for a few years. He had met her once when Merle had taken him out in an attempt to get him drunk in hopes of him hooking up with some random whore. Michonne had just had her baby and was down at that club begging Mike, the baby's father, to come home and help her out. The man had told her to leave and deal with the situation without him.

Daryl had seen the hurt and anger on the woman's face and saw she was struggling to keep her composure while balancing a new born in her arms. Mike took the opportunity to slap the woman while she was still holding the child and Daryl immediately intervened and shoved the guy to the ground. Merle came over and made sure the altercation didn't go any further and Daryl helped Michonne out of the club and into the car that had brought her there in the first place. She thought that she could attempt to confront the man to take some responsibility as a father to their child, but Mike was having none of it.

Though Michonne was obviously devastated by Mike's actions, she did manage to offer Daryl a genuine "Thank You" before she left. From that day on Daryl would occasionally ask about Michonne's situation, but had heard it hadn't got any better.

Alyssa then spoke "Michonne was here yesterday, she's extremely articulate but seems to be in a dire situation with her child's father."

"So there's a reason Michonne is so intelligent, she's college educated and attended one of the historically black colleges up North. She had a degree in law and moved to Atlanta to take a job helping out the less fortunate. Her and Andrea used to be best friends, so much so that Michonne moved here when Andrea married Blake. Blake didn't like it one bit and told Andrea she needed to choose different friends…but Andrea stood her ground and continued on with the friendship. Blake pulled some strings and managed to get Michonne disbarred for 'unprofessional conduct'." Daryl told them.

"Why would he do that?" Beth asked in a confused tone.

"According to Noah, Blake had tried to have a physical relationship with Michonne when Andrea was expecting Penny, and of course Michonne turned him down. When she lost her job, she was forced to seek employment as a housekeeper for none other than the Blake's. A few years later Michonne finally told Andrea what Blake did, but instead of Andrea believing her friend, she believed her husband and they fired Michonne for insubordination."

"Asshole." Merle said, feeling bad for Michonne.

"It was shortly after that when Michonne met this Mike guy and he literally charmed the pants off of her" Daryl told them, blushing when he remembered he was speaking to Beth and Alyssa, and not just Merle.

"So how does what happened here last night play into all of this?" Alyssa asked.

"Andrea's been having a physical relationship with Mike on the side." Daryl told them. Everyone's mouth dropped open at the news Daryl just divulged. The man that the Klan was backing to become Holly Spring's new Governor was married to a woman who was cheating on him with a black man. Talk about Irony.

"What? Old Mike's been putting the wood to Blake's wife? If he finds out they will be burning down the whole East village" Merle said almost laughing in disbelief.

"Merle Dixon, watch your mouth. I know you hate Dr. Blake, but there others to consider in all of this, like their daughter Penny." Beth scolded.

"She's a haughty bitch just like her mother. She spends her spare time making Clarissa's life a living hell." Merle replied in an almost angry tone. Beth didn't attempt to correct him anymore after Merle's revelation.

"Why would Andrea do that?" Alyssa asked innocently.

Daryl's face turned red and he stammered a bit before replying "Blake's impotent."

Merle let out a hoot and Beth smacked him on the leg. "You best not make fun Merle Dixon…you and Dr. Blake are the same age. It's a real medical problem."

"Why are you defending him Beth? You see what an asshole the guy is…he killed Sheriff Grime's wife and alluded that Alyssa had something to do with it, he destroyed Michonne because she wouldn't have relations with him, and has publicly called Me and Daryl white trash. I don't feel bad for him one bit. What goes around comes around." Merle shouted.

"There is one other thing…Andrea just found out she is pregnant, tried to get Dr. Bob to help her get rid of the baby, but he wouldn't do it. She ain't gonna be able to keep her secret much longer." Daryl told them. The room was suddenly filled with gasps.

"Oh Holy Hell- It's gonna get bad around here." Merle told them.

No truer words were spoken.

…

After Daryl's revelation, Merle really needed to leave and go back to take care of his cows. Beth told him she wanted to go with him, so she ran upstairs and changed her clothes while Alyssa threw together a breakfast for everyone. Though it was deemed inappropriate for the male/female "slumber parties" that it seemed like Beth, Alyssa, and the Dixon's had been having lately, Alyssa had made up her mind she didn't really care what people thought anymore. Holly Springs had bigger issues to deal with.

Everyone ate breakfast and then Beth and Merle left, leaving Daryl and Alyssa alone.

"Alyssa, I'm sorry the evening ended the way it did last night, but you were right, we needed to protect the boy. He's a good kid. Mike is his first cousin, so he considers Michonne family. He knows Mike is playing with fire and it's gonna end up coming down on everyone on the East Side." Daryl told her.

"It seems like Noah takes care of a lot of people." She told him.

"He does. We spent a good amount of time talking last night, and you know that ain't easy for me to do. But it got me thinking too…People ain't too keen about you treating the blacks and I'm afraid that's gonna make you a target." Daryl confided.

"It could, but I'm not gonna abandon them. Dr. Bob isn't a real physician, and Blake won't treat them. If I stop treating them, then they won't have anyone. What would you do?" Alyssa asked Daryl in earnest.

"I'd do what was right, but I'm gonna worry about ya when I ain't around." Daryl admitted, looking down at the floor with his confession.

"Just so you know Daryl, that shot gun that Merle got cozy with last night on the couch was mine. I know how to clean it, load it, and fire it. Don't forget I grew up on a farm and there was more than one time I sat up at night with my Daddy shooting coyotes. Heck I even shot rats in the barn for fun." She informed him.

"I'd feel better if you had something a little smaller you could keep on you at all times." He told her. Alyssa got up and then reappeared a few minutes later carrying a Lady Derringer.

"Will this work?" She asked him.

"Yes it will, quite nicely I must admit." Daryl said as he took the small handgun and felt it in his hands. "Where did you get this?"

"I ordered it a few months ago when I moved here. I've kept it in the nightstand." She told him.

"Keep it on ya at all times." Daryl told her. She nodded and put the pistol in the pocket of the robe she was still wearing.

"I just realized I can take your stitches out today, why don't you wait here and let me put on some clothes, then we will take them out." She told him.

"OK, that will work." He said in agreement. She went upstairs and then fifteen minutes later she came down dressed in a simple floral dress with her hair pulled into a side braid.

"Sorry, I know I look like a total mess." She said to him.

"No you don't Alyssa…you are the prettiest girl I've ever met." Daryl said blushing, and he looked at her just in time to see her blush as well.

As she began to work on his hand she spoke to him in soft tones "Daryl last night was very special to me. I've never had such a nice time and I'm glad my first date was with you."

"I'm glad it was too." He admitted.

"Also, that was my first kiss…and I liked it…a lot." She said blushing again.

That was all Daryl needed to hear. As soon as she was done removing the stitches from his hand he stood up and then pulled her too her feet and then up against his body. He could feel her tremble ever so slightly, and he'd be lying if he said he wasn't nervous too, but he couldn't resist kissing her again. It felt like magic as their lips touched and soon parted. He enjoyed the feel of her soft tongue in his mouth, and the slight taste of peach preserves from their breakfast a bit earlier. She was a fast learner and the more they kissed, the bolder her movements became. He felt her hands wrapped around his back slide up against his shoulders so she could pull his body even closer. Daryl scooped her up, never losing contact with her mouth and carried her back into the living room and sat down on the couch with her perched in his lap. He knew he had an erection, and there was no doubt that she knew as well, but she didn't seem to mind or to be scared away. She was a Doctor after all and she knew how the mechanics of the human body worked.

Daryl slid his hands up and down her back in a gentle caress, and then down to her lower back and he gripped her waist. She let out a soft moan and Daryl thought he would become undone. He then glided his finger tips up her sides towards her rib cage and he felt her body shudder and her kisses became more fervent. Daryl broke free and tried to catch his breath.

"Alyssa you do things to me that no one has ever done before." He whispered.

She was breathing heavily and just nodded in agreement. Finally she spoke. "I know you have to be exhausted…why don't just go upstairs and get some sleep in the guest room? I have chores to do around here and if you are here then you won't have to worry about me being alone while Beth is with Merle." She said.

"You don't mind?" He asked.

"Not at all…I like you being here with me." She said shyly. Daryl nodded in agreement, but not before thinking that for the first time in his life he had found someone that he could imagine spending the rest of his days with.

Sorry for the short chapter- I may keep the future chapters shorter so I can update more frequently. Please let me know if that is OK. I want to thank my guest reviews as well as my very loyal Miss October 13 for leaving me feedback.

 **For the one "anonymous" person who left the review regarding "** **16 year old Beth Greene** **" I noted that** **Beth is 20** **in this story, and in 1938 it was NOT uncommon for much younger women to marry much older men. Sorry if you have an issue with that. In fact, Alyssa being 30 and unmarried was almost unheard of at that time.**

 **Can I also ask that if you read this, please leave me a review. I am not getting much feedback and I'm not sure if it's because no one like the story ( I know it doesn't include Walkers) or if it is moving too slow. I wanna know so I can make it better.**

 **Thanks for your time and thanks for reading-**

 **Missy**


	8. Chapter 8

October 1938-Two Months later

It was now late October and a lot of things in Holly Springs had changed, but then again a lot of things had remained the same. Racial tensions were high and anyone who was slightly sympathetic towards the families that occupied East Holly Springs were looked at as traitors and treated with mistrust. Alyssa was probably close to the top of that list these days. Dr. Blake had retired from practicing medicine and was now challenging Dale Horvath for Mayor.

With Dr. Blake's retirement, Alyssa was busier than ever. Many people were resentful that their only choice for a physician without making the trip into Canton was Alyssa, but there were also many others who didn't seem to mind. Alyssa's income had increased considerably and she was looking for a second nurse to help out at the office. Beth had asked to step back to part time after her life had taken a dramatic, yet very happy turn.

The Sunday that followed the Klan Rally Merle and Beth were invited to dinner at the Greene's. Hershel spoke to Beth and Merle and apologized for his previous response to the news about them wanting to court. He then explained his reasoning and his worries about his own past transgressions and both Merle and Beth acknowledged they understood now what he was thinking. That day Merle Dixon was embraced and accepted by the Greene family, and he and Beth announced that they wanted to be married. Since the next day Merle would begin harvesting the crops with Daryl and his Uncle and then the cotton would need to be taken to Canton to be sold as soon as possible, they decided that they would marry in three weeks.

The harvest was probably the best cotton harvest that Daryl could remember having. Cotton prices were slightly higher than what Jess had estimated, and even after paying Will his unearned ten percent, the brother's and their uncle banked more money than Daryl and Merle had ever had in their entire lives. Merle was ecstatic because not only did this create a good nest egg for Beth and him, it also meant he could get their new house built a lot sooner than anticipated. He could hire help and if the weather held out, they could be living in their new home within the month.

When the day of the wedding finally (at least to Beth it seemed like forever) came around, Daryl, Alyssa, Hershel and Annette accompanied the couple to the Courthouse in Canton and Hershel tearfully, but happily gave his daughter away in marriage to his new son-in-law Merle. Merle even went so far as to wear a genuine suit, while Beth wore a tea-length white lace dress. When their vows were complete, Daryl couldn't help but notice the tears of joy in Merle's eyes. Merle had finally found the one person in this world that gave him complete joy, and the little angel who lived next door was now his life. Daryl was ecstatic for Merle and wondered if he would ever have a chance to experience the same type of happiness with Alyssa.

Merle had rented a room at the Inn that the Horvath's ran in downtown Holly Springs for a few nights so he and Beth could enjoy their privacy and Daryl was thankful. The last thing he wanted to hear was his brother and the little Angel girl consummating their marriage while he was still in the ice-cold bath stage with Alyssa.

Beth had to go through the awkward "talk" with her mother and had to fight off giggling through out her mother's speech. After all, not only was Beth a nurse, she had seen more than a few cases in the office of females who suffered from "honeymooner's disease" which was basically a painful bladder infection. Beth knew what to do to prevent it, and wasn't worried about her first time with Merle.

Whenever Beth and Merle had been affectionate with each other, Beth was always left with a longing feeling in her body. In fact on a few occasions she had begged Merle to take her virginity, but as difficult as it was for him to say 'no', he told her it would be worth the wait if they could do things properly. There were times when they would be making out and Beth would straddle his lap, feeling his manhood beneath her. She would writhe around on him, trying to get him to give into her needs and to satisfy the aching in her loins, but usually that ended up with him scolding her and reminding her that she wasn't playing fair. Now that they were married she didn't have to wait another moment.

When they checked into the Inn, Merle had been sure to rent them the "honeymooner's suite". That meant they had a room with a larger bed, a private bath, and a table for two so they could enjoy room service without leaving the room to dine with others. They may not have been going anywhere special, but that didn't make things any less romantic.

Once they were in their room, Beth slipped away and changed into a soft pink silk night gown that she had kept in her hope chest just for this night. When she appeared from the bathroom and stood in front of Merle, she noticed he was trembling and unable to speak. The normally braggadocio man was moved to tears for a second time today as his beautiful wife stood in front of him wearing next to nothing. Beth reached up and wiped the tears from his eyes and then stood up on her toes to give him a gentle kiss.

Merle buried his head in the crook of her neck and took in her scent. Then he pulled away softly and placed his large hands on her chin and turned her face so she was looking directly into his intense blue eyes. "Beth, you've known me your whole life, and you know I ain't always been the most respectable man around these parts, but you still chose to take me as your husband, and that means everything to me. I promise you I will be the best damn husband that's ever lived and I will treat you like you deserve to be treated. Every bit as good as your Daddy treats your Mama. I love you Beth Dixon." Merle told her as he leaned in and kissed his new bride.

Beth helped Merle out of his clothes and they were left standing in just her silk gown and he in his blue boxers. He picked her up and carried her to the bed and Beth thought she might faint with anticipation. Merle began to pepper her body with soft kisses, arousing her to the point she was dizzy. As he pulled her gown up and off her body she kept eye contact with him as she now lay there naked. Beth slid her hands into the waistband of his boxers and Merle literally sprung free. Beth's eyes grew huge when she saw the size of Merle's manhood and she suddenly found herself very nervous. She knew she was on the petite side of things and wondered if Merle's girth was going to lead to a painful 'first time' for her.

Merle must of sensed her apprehension because he began to whisper soft and encouraging words to his now nervous wife, knowing that if she was tense this could be a rough experience for her. As he continued to kiss and caress her, he became more bold in his moves and Beth reciprocated in her actions as well. Merle lavished her breasts with his mouth, causing her to let out a squeak of pleasure and as he moved his hand lower, he cupped her most intimate parts in his hand and almost came unglued at the feel of her softness. He could feel that she was ready for him and gave her a final chance to back out before he penetrated her for the first time.

Though it was a bit uncomfortable for Beth at first, Merle's gentleness with her allowed her to work through the initial discomfort as he broke through her barrier. She soon found herself moving with Merle's tentative thrusts and now the initial pain was a distant memory. Their movement became more frantic and Beth was gasping while Merle was letting out moans of pleasure and more soft words of encouragement. Beth's could feel a sensation building in her belly that made her forget anything else except getting herself totally fulfilled. Merle's breath was becoming more labored and his movements more intense and Beth completely lost herself in that moment as the most thrilling physical sensation she had ever felt completely took control of her. She let out the most beautiful sound Merle had ever heard and he reached his climax shortly after her…not sure if he was going to survive the most incredible sexual experience he had ever had. Finally unable to hold himself up a moment longer he collapsed onto the mattress and pulled his wife into his arms. Their bodies were covered in a sheen of sweat and both were still high off their love-making, but neither cared. Beth looked up at Merle with those big blue eyes and whispered in his ear "I love you Merle Dixon…and we will be doing that a LOT more."

…

While Beth was on her short honeymoon with Merle, Alyssa was working solo. She had never been more surprised in her entire life than the moment Philip Blake came rushing into her office carrying a badly beaten and bloodied Andrea into her office.

"Please help…she's been attacked." The man said through terrified tears.

Alyssa went to work immediately on assessing Andrea's condition while she instructed Dr. Blake to place an emergency call to Rick Grimes so they could report the crime.

Andrea had bruising on her face and scratches on her neck, chest and thighs. Her arm was broken and based on the bruising on her sides, she guessed she had broken ribs as well. Fortunately her breathing didn't seem labored so she probably did not have a punctured or collapsed lung. The amount of blood pooling beneath her lower body and covering her thighs led her to believe that she was miscarrying, confirming the news that Noah had given Daryl about her being pregnant. Alyssa decided that she would not divulge that information to Dr. Blake, as it wasn't her place to tell him his wife was having an affair.

"What happened?" Alyssa asked.

"Mike Giles…he beat her, raped her, and threw her down the stairs. She was taking a nap and he broke into the house. I was pulling into the driveway when I heard her screams and I ran into the house just in time to see him throw her down the stairs. When we find him he is not only going to die, he will be made an example to the other Niggers you are so fond of in this town."

Alyssa decided to let Blake's comment go…he had a right to be angry, though she was pretty sure he would be angrier if he knew about Andrea's voluntary affair with Michonne's husband. What she couldn't understand was why he turned on Andrea like this, and basically signed his own death sentence. This act was enough to cause the already strained racial tensions in town to completely rupture.

Rick and Shane showed up a few minutes later and Alyssa refused to allow them to speak to Andrea. Her condition was too fragile and after the violence she had suffered through Alyssa wasn't sure that she would be able to handle talking to the two large men.

While Blake was talking to the two officers, Alyssa slipped behind the curtain to talk to Andrea. It was obvious she was in a lot of pain.

"Andrea, you lost the baby." She told her.

"How did you know?" Andrea asked in a painful whisper.

"People in East Holly Springs catch on to more than you think. What happened with you and Mike? Tell me the truth and it won't go any further than me." Alyssa asked her.

Through the injuries and swelling, Alyssa could still see the fear and regret in Andrea's eyes. "I told Mike I was gonna terminate the pregnancy, that the affair was over. He then told me he was going to tell the truth to Philip. I told him Philip would never believe him and that it would bring violence on him and the others…he snapped and began to beat me…rape me…an then he threw me down the stairs. I guess I won't have to terminate the pregnancy now." Andrea said in almost a relieved voice.

Knowing Mike's violent past with Michonne, it didn't take much to convince Alyssa that Andrea was telling the truth. Mike obviously didn't take rejection well. There would now be a man hunt for him, and innocent people were now in danger. Especially Noah. Noah was seen by many as someone who was disrespecting of the white establishment and therefore a threat. She knew that he was being hidden somewhere in town, but it wasn't going to take much for someone to suggest door to door searches, and that would mean danger for Noah and whoever was hiding him. At this point Alyssa didn't care what happened to Mike, though she suspected it was going to be something horrible, but Noah was a good kid. He didn't deserve a punishment for speaking up for the unfair injustices being instilled on his community.

The only good thing that had happened lately was that Rick was more than willing to hire Michonne to help out with Carl and baby Judith. He allowed her to move in with Andre and she was free to run the household as if it were her own. The most surprising thing was that Rick and Michonne actually had established a true friendship and sense of trust over the past few weeks. He stopped by Alyssa's office on a few occasions just to check in on her and thanked her for her help more than once. Michonne would bring little Judy by for check-ups and Alyssa noticed her smiling a lot these days. Andre would always insist on getting a hug from the young doctor before he left with his mother and she would give the young boy a little treat such as a cookie or piece of candy. It was the fairness that Alyssa treated everyone with that put her in more danger than she was even aware. People were beginning to talk…and the most vocal voice against her was coming from none other than Will Dixon.

…

Daryl and Alyssa's relationship was moving very slowly, and that was a generous statement. Daryl had finished Alyssa's back porch, and it was beautiful. He screened it in to keep the bugs away and the two of them would eat dinner at the little café table Alyssa had placed out there. With fall upon them the cool breezes in the evening time were refreshing and the view of the mountains off in the distance was quite scenic.

Daryl would come over to Alyssa's each day after he was done with work on the farm. They would eat dinner together, discuss the day, and then they would sit down on Alyssa's couch and listen to the news or the radio shows. It wouldn't take much for them to find themselves making out like two teenagers on her couch. Daryl was still practicing extreme constraint, but it was a struggle. Alyssa had made it very clear that she was saving herself for marriage, though there were some times on her part she would wonder what it would hurt if she would just give into temptation. Daryl never once crossed a line with her and the closest they had ever gotten to anything remotely sexual was the time that Alyssa let herself get carried away and was straddling Daryl on the couch. She could feel his erection against her thigh and let out a little whimper as she felt the sensation of his warm penis against her. After that night she never allowed things to get that physical. Daryl was reduced to taking a lot of cold baths each night before going to bed just so he could calm himself to the point where he could actually sleep.

Saturday was date night, and Daryl would either take Alyssa out to dinner and then they would go see a picture show, or they would sometimes just drive up into the mountains and have a picnic and watch the sunset. Daryl was gentle with her and most of all, he was patient. Alyssa had boldly asked him about his past physical relationships, and Daryl answered her honestly. He had been with a few women, and other than his first time in France, he was pretty sure most of the women were paid whores that Merle had hired "because he thought it was good for Daryl's health".

Alyssa didn't seem to be upset about his past escapades and Daryl was relieved she didn't judge him. The only problem he was having now was that his body would respond to something as simple as Alyssa's laugh, or the way she would brush his hair out of his eyes. After getting his hair cut short for their first date he hadn't gotten it cut again and it was starting to get a bit shaggy again. Alyssa admitted to him that she liked the look on him, so he was even less inclined now to get it cut.

Every Sunday morning Beth and Merle would swing by her house and pick Alyssa up for church. Initially Merle would come bye and pick up both girls, but now with Beth living with Merle and Daryl, the newly wed couple would come by and bring her to service. After service was over Alyssa would either ride with Beth and Merle to Jess and Hannah's for Sunday dinner, or she would ride with Jess and Hannah directly.

Sunday dinner was becoming quite the event these days. Not only would the Dixon's and their women be at dinner, but Rick and Michonne and the kids would come over as well. Michonne was not welcome in Alyssa's church, so Rick had began to attend church at Father Gabriel's A.M.E. church in East Holly Springs. It was obvious that no one knew about Rick's "friendship" with Michonne. With him being the town Sheriff, no one would question his movements down in East Holly Springs. Rick felt guilty about living somewhat of a double life, but Michonne had convinced him that it was best for everyone, especially Carl. It was unfortunate that people had to hide their true feelings and friendships solely because of the color of their skin. Unfortunately though, with the Klan's recent arrival in town, it was especially important for Rick to not allow anyone any reason to doubt his ability to protect EVERYONE in the community. If people deemed Rick to be sympathetic to the black community, he would lose control of his town.

…

Merle and Beth had now been married for five weeks and would be moving into their new house the following week. Merle wanted Beth to only work a few days a week so now Alyssa was challenged to find a second nurse. She had been interviewing potential candidates for the past week and finally decided to go with a local transplant to the community. Rosita Espinoza had recently moved from Texas to be with her sister's family, the Morales's. Hector Morales and his wife Miranda were the owner's of The Depot, the nicest restaurant in town, as well as a few other small businesses such as a shipping business and a laundry service. Though they weren't treated with the same malice as the black families in town, they were still treated as outsiders, similar to the Rhee's.

One quality that Rosita brought with her was that she was an experienced mid-wife. Third generation to be exact. She had delivered one hundred and twenty one babies, of which one hundred and eighteen had survived. That statistic told Alyssa all she needed to know about Rosita…the woman knew what she was doing. The other quality that helped Alyssa make her decision was that Rosita had no qualms about treating people of varying races. A patient was a patient in her eyes and she would treat them all fairly. With that being said, Rosita would start the following Monday.

Beth showed up at the office the Monday before Rosita would start and had a flushed look on her face. Alyssa laughed at first thinking that her and Merle had fooled around right before she came to work, but then she noticed that Beth had a concerned look in her eye.

"Beth what's wrong?" Alyssa asked in a worried tone.

"I'm late." Beth said.

"Just a few minutes…it's nothing to worry about." Alyssa said, amused by Beth being bothered by her tardiness.

"No Alyssa…I'm _late._ " She said putting emphasis on the last word.

"Oh." Alyssa responded. "I'm going to guess that this isn't a normal thing for you?"

"No…I think I might be pregnant." Beth told her with a sigh.

"Are you OK with that if you are?" Alyssa asked her.

"No…Yes…I don't know. I didn't think it would happen this soon after getting married." Beth said in an exasperated tone.

"I don't have to remind you that it only takes one time for pregnancy to occur do I?" Alyssa said in a slight joking tone.

"Ha Ha. Can you check me and find out?" Beth asked.

Alyssa checked Beth's cervix and then her uterus for the tell tale signs of softening and sure enough, she could feel the less vascular lining of her membranes. Though it wasn't one hundred percent accurate, with Beth's missed cycle it looked like she was most definitely expecting.

"It would appear to me Mrs. Dixon that you and Merle have managed to conceive a child in record time." Alyssa told Beth.

Beth let out a sigh and then began to cry.

"Beth what's wrong honey?" Alyssa asked when she saw Beth crying.

"I don't know if I'm ready for this…and what's Merle going to think?" She asked.

"First of all I don't think anyone is ready to be a parent two minutes after finding out they are expecting, and knowing Merle he will be overjoyed. He's gonna spoil this baby as much as he spoils you. Everything will be fine, trust me." Alyssa told her in a reassuring voice.

"You think so?" Beth asked.

"I know so Beth. Merle's a good man and this is going to make him happy." Alyssa told her while squeezing her friends hand.

…

Daryl was getting dressed to go over to visit with Alyssa when he heard a knock on his door. He opened it up to find Clarissa standing there.

"Hey kiddo, what's going on?" Daryl said.

"Um…I know you don't like to go to church, but this Sunday I'm going to be singing and I was wondering if you want to come hear me? It would mean a lot to me if you were there." She said in a slightly pleading tone.

Daryl didn't say anything at first, and was chewing his thumb nervously. Though he was comfortable leaving the house to visit Alyssa, or to go out on actual dates with her…there was still a bit of anonymity with that. Church was different though. It was families gathering to fellowship with other families and it meant interacting with other people. However, Daryl saw the pleading look on Clarissa's face and he knew he couldn't disappoint her.

"I'll be there…I promise." He assured her. She squealed with delight and gave Daryl a hug.

"Thank you Uncle Daryl…it means a lot to me." She told him. Even though Merle and Daryl were actually Clarissa's first cousins, she always called them her uncles. Daryl admired the girl. She had always been treated differently by most kids, but she never let it get her down. Like Hannah, she held her head high and displayed confidence in who she was, and that was something Daryl was never able to do. Clarissa was beautiful, smart, charismatic, and strong willed and that made her a force to be reckoned with.

"Ain't a problem kid." He said as he gave her a pat on the back as she left his house.

Daryl took a look around his house and let out a sigh. He still hadn't bothered to get new picture frames for the photo's of his mother that were broken the night of his fight with his father. His house didn't have the same warmth to it that Alyssa's home had and he was actually starting to feel a bit of sadness with Beth and Merle soon moving out. Usually when he would arrive home after leaving Alyssa's each night Merle and Beth would still be up listening to the radio and Beth was sure to have a cup of Chamomile tea ready for him upon arrival. He enjoyed their company and now he would soon be coming home to an empty house.

Daryl caught himself thinking about marriage more and more, but he didn't think that his relationship with Alyssa was at that point. Plus, there would be no way in hell he could muster up the courage to ask her. For now their relationship would stay where it was. Yes, he was sexually frustrated and he had even contemplated taking care of his own needs himself, but the few times he tried he felt like even that action was a betrayal to Alyssa…so he chose to suffer in silence. Sometimes he found himself so tense that he just wanted to shout at the top of his lungs for a sense of relief, but he would just stay silent or go outside and smoke a cigarette while walking off some of his pent up energy. Being with Alyssa made it all worth while.

Daryl's nightmares had lessened for a while the first few weeks he was with Alyssa, but now they seemed to be returning. They still weren't as bad as they had been, but they would still wake him up and leave him in a cold sweat.

Alyssa had gathered up a lot of research on war veterans and found out that he was most likely suffering from something called Shell Shock Syndrome. The best treatment was to talk about the traumatic experience that had caused the reaction, but Daryl couldn't. He couldn't tell her…the woman he was sure he was in love with, about the worse day of his life. It was worse than the abuse he suffered at the hands of his drunken father, and even worse than the day his mother died while he held her as she drew her last breath. Those were things Daryl had no control over…but what happened on that battlefield in France was completely Daryl's fault. He kept details to himself that even Merle didn't know about…and he would take that shame and guilt with him to his grave.

Alyssa wasn't happy that Daryl refused to open up to her, but she wasn't surprised either. Daryl could be one of the most stubborn men she had ever met in her life. He had actually shared very little about himself with her, other than a few vague mentions of being abused, losing his mother when he was young, and of course going to war at Seventeen years of age. There were a few times that Alyssa even contemplated asking Merle…but if she did that would be a betrayal to Daryl's privacy, and she wasn't even sure if Merle would speak to her about those parts of Daryl's life. She did know that once Daryl got to the point where he could open up to her, then she would be there for him every step of the way and she would listen, support, and comfort him in every way she knew how.

…

Sunday morning arrived and Daryl was going to pick up Alyssa and take her to church. He washed up, shaved, and put on his best set of dress clothes that had been sitting in the back of his closet for years. He even pulled out a pair of leather dress shoes that he had only worn once. If he was going to be sitting in Church beside Alyssa, he at least wanted to make her proud to be seen with him.

It was a cloudy fall morning when he walked out to his truck and made his way into town. Alyssa met him at the door in a red skirt, black patent leather belt, and creamy colored blouse. She pulled on red cardigan that matched the skirt and Daryl noticed she had on some black heels he hadn't seen before. She had her silver cross necklace on and had on some silver earrings and a silver bracelet. The jewelry was as delicate as Alyssa.

"You look real pretty Alyssa." He told her as he gave her a kiss. She reciprocated back and he swore he heard a low moan in the back of her throat. Maybe she was just as physically frustrated as he was.

"Daryl Dixon I swear you get better looking each day." She told him, causing Daryl to blush. He never could handle compliments very well.

"Well I reckon we need to head to Church. If I fall asleep then just nudge me." Daryl told her letting out a little laugh.

"If Reverend Samuels sees you nodding off he'll remind you himself. I saw him drop a Bible on the wooden floor at one man's feet when he dozed off one Sunday." She warned him.

Daryl let out a grunt and Alyssa gave him a playful swat on the arm.

The walked into the Church holding hands and it did not go unnoticed. There were whispers and smiles as Daryl and Alyssa made their way up the aisle to the pews occupied by the Greenes and the Dixons. Daryl and Alyssa sat beside Merle and Beth. Daryl noticed his brother had a bigger grin than usual and he couldn't figure out why. Alyssa looked at Beth and she simply nodded her head and gave her a thumbs up. There was something going on and Daryl was now curious to find out what it was.

The service began with a prayer and a hymn. Daryl managed to open the hymnal and read along as everyone sang, but he refused to sing in public. Unfortunately Merle didn't share his brother's thoughts on the subject and Daryl could hear him singing …loudly and slightly off key. Daryl shook his head and caught Alyssa looking at him. He simply motioned his head towards Merle and then rolled his eyes. Alyssa almost burst out in laughter. When the song was over and they were going over the announcements she whispered in Daryl's ear "The Bible tells us to make a joyful noise unto the Lord…it doesn't say it has to sound good to the rest of us." Daryl chuckled quietly and gave her a pat on the leg, then he snaked her hand into his as they listened to Yvette Connors continue with the weekly announcements.

The offertory hymn was next and Daryl pulled out a couple of dollars and threw them into the offering plate and Merle followed suit. Most people were throwing loose change into the plate and it was apparent that the ushers were impressed when they didn't just see one dollar in the plate, but several. Daryl figured with the good year they had with the harvest he could afford a few bucks in a "Thanks" to the man above.

When the offering was completed Reverend Samuels walked up to the pulpit and gave an introduction for Clarissa to sing her "special" song. Not only could Clarissa sing, but she also could play the piano. Obviously her musical talent came from her mother because a Dixon couldn't carry a tune in a bucket. As Clarissa got up to sing Daryl noticed several people begin to bristle in protest and he suddenly got a bad feeling. He looked at Merle who looked just as bewildered and Alyssa tightened her grip on his hand.

There was no way that Clarissa couldn't be aware of the tension now filling the Church. By the look on Reverend Samuels face, he was very aware of it as well, and he was not happy. When Clarissa took her seat at the piano the pastor walked over to her and gave her a reassuring pat on the back, and then gave her the signal to begin. She soon began the words of one of the few Hymn's Daryl knew…How Great though Art.

 _ **O Lord my God! When I in awesome wonder**_

 _ **Consider all the works Thy hand hath made.**_

 _ **I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,**_

 _ **Thy power throughout the universe displayed.**_

 _ **Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to Thee:**_

 _ **How great Thou art, how great Thou art!**_

 _ **Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to Thee:**_

 _ **How great Thou art, how great Thou art!**_

 _ **When through the woods and forest glades I wander**_

 _ **And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees;**_

 _ **When I look down from lofty mountain grandeur**_

 _ **And hear the brook and feel the gentle breeze:**_

 _ **Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to Thee:**_

 _ **How great Thou art, how great Thou art!**_

 _ **Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to Thee:**_

 _ **How great Thou art, how great Thou art!**_

 _ **And when I think that God, His Son not sparing,**_

 _ **Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in;**_

 _ **That on the cross, my burden gladly bearing,**_

 _ **He bled and died to take away my sin:**_

 _ **Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to Thee:**_

 _ **How great Thou art, how great Thou art!**_

 _ **Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to Thee:**_

 _ **How great Thou art, how great Thou art!**_

As Clarissa was singing the classic hymn, more than one family stood up and walked out of the Church. The young girl never faltered while playing and singing, but by the time she sang the last verse you could hear the ache in her voice and see the tears sliding down her face and hitting the piano keys. Daryl's heart ached for her and he looked to Jess and Merle. Merle looked like he could kill someone, his earlier grin replaced with a scowl. Jess's expression hadn't changed, but Daryl noticed he was gripping the back of the pew tightly. Hannah kept a defiant smile on her face, but Daryl knew she was just showing she and Clarissa weren't defeated. They had pride and they weren't going to cower to these people. There was no shame being born of Cherokee Heritage. Her people had persevered through one of the most troubling events in American History, and Hannah Dixon knew that what had happened here today in church was nothing compared to what her ancestors had endured.

Clarissa made her way over to her parents (and Carl) when she was done. Jess wrapped his daughter in an embrace and dared anyone to look at her hatefully or say anything. The good news was it was only a few families that had left, but there were still several families that had complete looks of disdain on their face.

Reverend Samuels stood up to begin his Sermon, and then raised up his hand in a signal to stop himself.

"This morning I had planned on a different message…but the Lord spoke to me a few minutes ago and I think it is important that I follow the Lord's Will. I've seen a change recently in our town and in our congregation, and I'm not going to lie…it's upsetting. The Bible tells us to love one another…Do Unto others as you would have them do unto you. But do we really practice what we preach? What I just witnessed here tells me we don't."

Daryl was impressed that this unassuming man was speaking honestly to his congregation. Daryl wasn't much of the Church type, but he was beginning to see what Merle, Jess, and Alyssa saw in the preacher. He was a genuinely good man.

The Reverend's voice then got a little louder "This message isn't going to be popular with a lot of you, and based on the looks on your faces I would even go so far as to say most of you. When a beautiful child of the Lord comes up here and worships her God as beautifully and as heart felt as what we witnessed here this morning and people grumble, and go so far as to walk out…that tells me that we as a congregation have disappointed our Lord. That behavior breaks our Heavenly Father's heart. Actions like I witnessed this morning are just as disrespectful to Our God as the actions of the individuals in Sodom and Gomorrah. There are no little sins and no big sins…a sin is a sin…with the exception of Blasphemy. And some of the hate speech that I heard being spouted out in our town a few weeks back was nothing but Blasphemy. When you die do you think there are two heavens? Do you think we go to White heaven or Black heaven? If you truly believe that then I have done a poor job of being your shepherd. This is not going to be a long message this morning, but I hope you take the words I spoke to heart." The Preacher said as he simply closed his Bible, looked at his congregation and began to sing

"Jesus loves the little children,

All the children of the world.

Red and yellow, black and white,

All are precious in his sight,

Jesus loves the little children of the world."

He then walked down off the pulpit, and opened the door at the back of the church. When he did there was a loud gasp and people began to run out of the church. A group of men in hoods stood proudly in the back of a pick up truck that had the mangled body of Mike Giles tied up in ropes behind it. His body had been dragged for a good distance and he was barely recognizable as human.

Daryl grabbed Alyssa and pulled her into his chest so she wouldn't have to see the carnage, and Merle followed suit with Beth.

"A Nigger who commits an act against our women will be punished for such a crime. Let this be known that anyone who tries to threaten our purity will meet a fate of equal measures." The man shouted as the truck took off and headed down towards East Holly Springs. Daryl wasn't quite sure who the voice belonged too and he looked to Merle who simply shrugged his shoulders.

Daryl's first thoughts were now back to young Noah. He needed to get the boy out of town and bring him back up to the Cabin. It wasn't going to be easy with everyone looking for the kid, and also convincing anyone in East Holly Springs to reveal his location. There was probably only one person with white skin that they truly trusted, and that was Alyssa, and Daryl didn't want to put her in danger. He was already worried when she made her weekly trip down to treat the sick. Since the incident in town, very few of the colored folks would come into town and Alyssa was worried that Dr. Bob wouldn't be able to treat everyone by himself. The one good thing she had noticed was that it had appeared that the doctor had been sober during all of their interactions. He must of realized how much he was needed…especially now.

…

The Greene's had joined The Dixon's and the Grimes for Sunday Dinner. Hannah had made a ham and all the trimmings, and Annette had brought dessert, Alyssa had made a squash casserole, and Beth had made glazed carrots and sweet potato casserole.

No one had brought up church this morning, but it was obvious that Clarissa was still upset and Carl was doing his best to comfort her. He hadn't left her side the entire time they had been back at Hannah and Jess's. When it was time to give the blessing Merle stood up with Beth and they announced the news that Beth was expecting. Hershel and Annette began to cry tears of joy with the news they were going to be grandparents, and Daryl's blue eyes couldn't have gotten any bigger if he tried. He was going to be a real legitimate Uncle now….and Merle and Beth apparently hadn't wasted any time on the baby making. Well Merle wasn't getting any younger. Merle was having his first baby at the time a lot of folks were having their first grandkid.

The news seemed to lift the mood and Clarissa even told Beth she would be more than willing to baby sit. Hannah told her that they still have Clarissa's baby items in the attic and they were more than welcome to anything they needed. Merle had designed their new house to have four bedrooms, but as quickly as they conceived this child, that might not be enough. While everyone was celebrating and enjoying the fellowship with each other, Daryl had let himself zone out. He wanted what Merle had…and he wanted it with Alyssa.

That meant he was going to need to open up to her about everything…the abuse, his mother…and most importantly…that day in France. It wasn't going to be easy, but she had to know what she was getting herself into. If she could accept him for all his past transgressions, then they could have a future together. And he didn't want to wait…he wanted it soon. But before he could focus on getting the courage to pour out all the details of his past to Alyssa, he had to get Noah somewhere safe.

He would talk to Merle, and reluctantly he would include Alyssa and see if they could find a way to get Noah out of town. It would be dangerous, but it wasn't going to be long before Noah was discovered and his fate would be the same as Mike's.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the telephone ringing. Jess answered the phone and it was Maggie calling from the switchboard. Jess listened to what she said and thanked her for calling. He then called everyone into the dining room.

"Maggie just called and I have some bad news. Reverend Samuels and his family were in a bad car accident shortly after church today. Their car was forced off the road at a high rate of speed and they hit a tree head on. The car burst into flames and…" Jess actually choked up…something Daryl nor Merle had ever seen.

"and there were no survivors." Jess finally managed to choke out. Hannah rushed to her husbands side to console him, but she found herself breaking down as well.

Clarissa stood up "This was all my fault…someone did this too him because he stood up for me this morning. I killed them…I killed them all." She screamed as she ran out of the room and up to her room sobbing loudly.

"I'll go talk to her." Jess said when Hannah made an attempt to go after her daughter.

Emotions were running rampant…Hershel wanted to pray, Merle wanted to hit something, the women were crying, Rick was trying to console Carl who was worried about Hannah, and Daryl just felt another sense of loss. He had never been to church or heard a sermon that meant anything until today. And the man he saw stand up bravely and defend his kin folk was now dead, burnt to a crisp…along with his wife and children.

One thing they all agreed upon was that none of them thought this was an accident. Tensions in Holly Springs had just exploded, and for some reason Daryl felt like he was going off to war again.

"Daryl, are you OK?" Alyssa asked him as she pulled him into an embrace.

"No Alyssa, I'm not." He admitted.

Whew- This took a while to write. A LOT going on, I just hope it's not too rambling. The action is beginning to ramp up.

 **I want to thank the following folks for their awesomeness and supportive reviews last chapter:**

 **ToshimiOkami**

 **Avaleigh1**

 **Tie228**

 **ArcheryLefty**

 **Miss October 13**

 **And JeanF**

 **I really needed those this week. I'm not going to lie…this is my hell week at work and I've been told I have to work next Sat/Sunday as well. I'm going to TRY to get the next chapter out this week….and maybe some more encouraging reviews can convince me to stay up later and write LOL.**

 **I hope to chat with you again next Sunday….but if I don't I will update as soon as possible.**

 **Also, once again I apologize for the racial slurs. I absolutely hate writing them, but I don't know how to be true to the story or the time frame without them.**

 **Until next week my friends-**

 **Missy**

 **XXOO**


	9. Chapter 9

Rick had hired a new deputy to help with the tensions that had been building in Holly Springs. Emmett Gorman had relocated from Canton and was more than willing to take the job that Rick had posted. The guy didn't give Rick the warm and fuzzies, but he came highly recommended and they needed the extra help. So the one day that Rick took off and left Gorman in charge was the day that a black man had been murdered and dragged through the streets of his town, and then displayed to the all white congregation of Holly Springs Baptist church just as the service ended. Then a few hours later the pastor and his family of the same church were found dead in a car accident after the Pastor had delivered a scathing message about racial tolerance. Today was not the best day of his career. He had four suspicious deaths on his plate and one incident of "Southern Justice" that just so happened to have occurred to his housekeeper and close friend Michonne's ex husband.

Mike Giles was far from a stellar guy. Rick had picked him up numerous times for drunken escapades, petty theft, and unwanted advances on various women, but no man deserved to be killed like he had been, and whether or not he had been guilty of raping and attacking Andrea Blake, the guy deserved a trial. The Klan was firmly ensconcing itself in his town and Rick was now of the belief that adding a single deputy to his force of two was not going to be enough. Tomorrow he would make a call to the State and see if there was anything extra they could do to help out with things before the powder keg exploded.

There was one other thing that was bothering Rick. Why didn't Gorman seem more upset about the accident scene involving the Pastor, his wife, and two children? The family burned alive, and based on the details from the fire department, the youngest daughter was still alive when they arrived on the scene. Gorman failed to mention that fact to Rick. He also failed to mention that the entire driver's side of the vehicle had been dented in by something that was not a tree. They hit the tree dead on and Rick knew for a fact that Pastor Samuels kept his vehicle in pristine condition. There was no doubt that another car had been involved and it wouldn't take someone trained to figure that out. Already Rick was beginning to wonder why Gorman had been so eager to take the position and give up his job in Canton.

Michonne seemed indifferent to the news when Rick had told her about Mike. In some way she almost seemed relieved. It was no secret he had made Michonne's life miserable and did very little to have contact with Andre, but he knew Michonne well enough now to realize she was mourning her ex lovers death. Michonne was a strong and intelligent woman…there had to have been more to Mike at one time. Maybe one day he would ask her about it, but for now he had to get control of the situation in his town before more lives were lost.

…

After Sunday dinner, everyone departed Hannah and Jess's home in a somber mood. Daryl was worried about Clarissa and even more worried about Noah. The night of the rally in downtown Holly Springs when Daryl got Noah out of town to a safe place, he got a chance to talk to the kid and get to know him. Though Daryl was never great at holding a conversation, he was impressed with how smart the boy was. This was someone who deserved a chance to get out of Holly Springs and use his intelligence to do something substantial. Noah didn't need to live the life of share cropper and Daryl knew it. Noah had expressed to Daryl that he had dreams of going to college and learning to become an architect. Daryl didn't doubt for one second that Noah could achieve those dreams if given a chance. However, the kid had to survive this ordeal with the Klan if order to move on with his life.

Daryl had asked Alyssa to come over to his house where Beth and Merle had already retreated to an hour earlier. Beth had been chatting non-stop about all the items they were going to need for their new home and had made everyone promise to help the next day. When Daryl had asked Alyssa to visit she assumed it was to discuss helping the newlyweds to get settled in. Unfortunately, that wasn't what Daryl had planned.

Once they were at Daryl's he called everyone over to the table to sit down.

"Look, Y'all know as well as I do that the shit that happened with the preacher today weren't an accident. There are eyes all over this damn town and they are going after anyone who goes against these assholes agenda." Daryl said. He normally didn't like to swear in front of Alyssa, but he was angry and full of emotion and didn't feel like reeling himself in.

"That's a fact little brother, but what does that have to do with us?" Merle asked.

"Everything. That kid we saved a while back, Noah…there gonna be looking for him. There ain't gonna take much for them to start going door to door and stirring up shit. Folks down in that part of town ain't gonna be too accommodating to it either, which means all hell will break loose. If they find Noah, they are gonna do the same thing to that kid that they did to the guy they dragged through town today…and those that are hiding him ain't gonna fare too well either." Daryl said, emotion high in his voice. So much so that Alyssa took his hand that was resting on the table and held it in hers to comfort him. She could see the sincerity pulsing behind those crystal blue eyes and she knew he was worried.

"I reckon you're right baby brother… there will be a lot of friction from it too. Won't do anybody no good if you think you're gonna get killed just from being at the wrong place at the wrong time. I don't want my baby to grow up like this." Merle said as he gave Beth a loving but worried look.

"Daryl, I still don't know what we could possibly do though? Not many people are going to be willing to help. Especially after what happened with Reverend Samuels today." Alyssa said with a concerned voice.

"The way I see it we are sitting on a powder keg and Noah is the fuse. We gotta find the boy and get him out of town. Maybe his family too. I know he has a mama and twin brothers. I say we smuggle him out and back up to that old cabin. When I was up there the last time it was obvious no one had been up there in years. The path was overgrown and almost impassable. Maybe we bring them a bunch of supplies and let them set it up and stay…until all of this blows over. Twice a week we can alternate going up there to check on them so no one gets suspicious with one of us leaving town all the time. People don't miss much around here. I think it's our best option." Daryl said.

Merle was pondering what Daryl just said and then Beth spoke up "But how are we going to get someone to trust us enough to give up Noah's location?"

Daryl let out a sigh, this was the risky part. "They trust Alyssa. She could inquire…maybe start with Michonne and see what she knows. I'd let Rick in on this, but I don't want to put him in jeopardy. He's got enough on his plate right now. Michonne would know who we should ask. I'd do it myself, but with me being a Dixon and daddy having the reputation he has, I don't think they would trust me."

"I'll do it. I can stop by and visit Michonne tomorrow. I was planning on going down to Dr. Bob's on Tuesday for my weekly visit and I will inquire then." Alyssa told them.

"Merle…I also need you to do something." Daryl said in an apprehensive tone.

"What's that?" Merle said curiously.

"I need you to get in good with Dad. When he drinks, he opens up…and he might let you know what's going on with his new friends." Daryl said.

"Fuck no." Merle shouted.

"Merle Dixon…language." Beth scolded.

"Sorry, but no. I'm gonna be a daddy and I don't want nothing to do with the son of a bitch." Merle said adamantly

Beth then spoke "Merle…it's not a bad idea. You know keep your friends close and keep your enemies closer. You can do it for a month or so. Just play nice, act concerned…even have few drinks with him."

"I ain't drinking no more Beth. I told you that. Once I start it can be hard to stop, and I don't want your Daddy thinking I ain't taking good care of you. I'll check in on the old man, and we'll see what happens from there. If I do this, I want someone to tell Jess what's going on. I don't need him to think bad of me either." Merle said. For once in his life he really did care what people thought of him, and that was because he didn't want negative thoughts about him to reflect on Beth or his new baby on the way.

Daryl nodded. "Alyssa, I'm worried about you. People aren't happy about your role in helping out everyone and working with Dr. Bob. I'm scared someone will target you."

"That's ridiculous Daryl. If they were going too, it would have happened by now. Everyone knows it is my job to treat people, regardless of race. Some people might not be happy about it, but those people don't bother coming to me for treatment. I'll be fine." She said in a confident voice.

Daryl just sighed and gave her an "OK", but he wasn't happy with her being alone so much. He felt better when Beth was staying with her, but he also knew that Alyssa was an independent woman who never seemed to worry too much about her own safety. She had the gun, and that made Daryl feel a little bit better, but he worried about someone breaking in while she slept. Maybe he could convince her to allow the new nurse to move in with her. Then she wouldn't be alone.

…

Daryl wanted to talk to Alyssa about his intentions to further their relationship, but words never came easy to him and every time he realized he would have to divulge his past to her, he felt like his heart would beat out of his chest. After the meeting with Merle and Beth she had told him she needed to get home and prepare for Rosita starting the next day. Daryl was actually happy to have the time alone with her. As usual, she was leaving Hannah's house with a ton of leftovers that usually were shared with Daryl on Sunday nights. This Sunday wouldn't be any different.

As they rode in Daryl's truck to Alyssa's house Alyssa noticed that Daryl seemed more pensive than normal. He was chewing on his thumb and seemed distracted. She assumed it was because he was worrying about Noah. That trait in Daryl was very endearing to her. So many men who grew up like Daryl would have been on the other side of the fence with their values, but Daryl really seemed to see people for who they truly were, regardless of race. The most surprising thing was that Merle and Jess were as well. Maybe the horrific way that Will Dixon had treated his boys had a silver lining, and that was that these two men didn't want to follow in their father's footsteps.

When they arrived at Alyssa's Daryl quickly ran around to the passenger side of his truck and opened the door for Alyssa. He took her hand and pulled her into a deep kiss, which she reciprocated enthusiastically.

"I've been wanting to do that all day." He told her when he broke away to catch his breath.

"Have you now? Out here in the open in front of God and everybody." She said teasing. Alyssa's home was on the outskirts of town, and she didn't have any neighbors within sight. Both of them were pretty sure that unless someone drove by, they weren't going to be seen.

"Yeah…something like that." He told her as he led her up the front porch and allowed her to unlock the door.

Alyssa put up the leftovers and then turned on the radio so they could listen to the evening news. Daryl sat down on the couch and Alyssa had put on a tea kettle so that they could relax and enjoy some chamomile tea. While the kettle was warming up she sat down on the couch beside Daryl and snuggled into him. He felt so warm against her, and with it being late fall, she enjoyed the warmth.

"Alyssa I want to talk to you." Daryl said in a serious tone.

Alyssa looked up at him, concern in her eyes. "What's wrong?"

"Ain't nothing wrong, but we've been seeing each other a few months and I'm ready for a change." Daryl told her.

Alyssa swallowed hard. Was this the point where he told her that he needed more from her than just making out and cold baths? Was he going to give her the ultimatum that she gives up her values or lose him? Daryl didn't seem like that type of man, but since she didn't really have any other relationships to compare this too she figured this was what he was leading up too. Could she do it though? She knew she felt feelings both physically and emotionally for Daryl that she had never felt for anyone before, but her values, and more importantly her virtue were important to her too.

"Alyssa, look at me. You look worried and you ain't got nothing to worry about. It's me that's worried." He told her in an honest yet whispering voice.

"What on earth for Daryl? Am I giving you something to worry about?" She asked in a curious voice.

"Plenty." He said. He then took her hand into his and held it tightly. "Look, after seeing how happy Merle is with Beth it got me to thinking about things. It got me to thinking about the future."

Alyssa looked him in the eyes and took a gulp of air, here it comes…he's gonna break up with her.

"You don't have to say anymore Daryl, I understand if you want to stop seeing me." Yeah, that was it…getting it out first so Daryl wouldn't have to tip toe around the subject. It would make it easier on him. He had already struggled with so much in his life, no need to make him struggle with this.

Daryl looked at her like she had grown a second head. Damnit, he knew he was terrible with words, but this was not where he wanted this conversation to go. She was totally misreading him.

"What? I don't want to stop seeing you Alyssa. You're the best damn thing that has ever happened to me and I pinch myself every day to make sure this is real. If anything I wonder why someone as classy as you would even consider spending time with someone that's such a mess." He told her while breathing heavily. He was going to get his point across to her if it killed him.

"You don't want to break things off?" She asked, almost in tears of joy.

"Hell no. It's the opposite. Alyssa I want to plan a future with you…with us." He told her.

"You do?" She asked trying to keep the butterflies in her stomach from fluttering.

Daryl took a deep breath. "Look, I know there is a lot in my past I haven't been up front with you about, and that's because it's too hard to talk about. But I gotta man up and do it. You need to know what you are dealing with. I just don't want you seeing me differently than you already do, and I don't want you to pity me. I know I'm messed up in the head, but I don't want to be. You have said that I need to talk about those things in the past and I think you are right. If I do I think _We_ can have a future. Alyssa…I…I…I…" He couldn't say it, but he wanted to.

"What Daryl? What were you going to say?" She asked.

Fuck it, he told himself. "Alyssa I'm in love with you. Ain't never felt this way about no one before, and it scares me to death, but Damnit…its' the truth. I love you and I want to marry you one day." He told her as quick as he could speak.

Alyssa stood in front of him dumbfounded. This was not what she expected to hear from him. She knew she had fell in love with him a long time ago, but she didn't know how to tell him that without it seeming like she was saying it only because he did. Unfortunately, her lack of response caused Daryl to panic.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be so fucking forward Alyssa. We can keep things as they are if that is what you want. I'll do anything you want just so I can still be with you. If this is all you are comfortable with, then I'll be happy with that. Just to have you in my life is enough." Daryl stuttered out.

Alyssa didn't give him a chance to say another word. She boldly threw herself into his arms and kissed him passionately…almost desperately. Daryl wrapped his arms around her body and pulled her tightly, like if he let go of her she would disappear. Daryl gently eased Alyssa down on the couch and hovered over her as they continued to kiss with reckless abandon. Before Daryl could react, he could feel Alyssa tugging on his belt trying to get it unbuckled. The mere touch of her hands on his waist sent the blood rushing to his manhood and he pulled back.

"Alyssa…no…not like this." He told her.

"But…"She said as he pulled her back up into a sitting position.

"I'm not going to let you go against what you believe in, it ain't right." He told her. He wanted her so badly, but he didn't want her to be filled with regret because she compromised herself just because he admitted he loved her.

"But you don't understand Daryl…I love you too. I think I've been in love with you since that first day you walked into my office months ago. After the first time I met you I couldn't get you out of my head and I think about you morning, day, and night." She said.

Daryl couldn't believe what he just heard. Alyssa admitted that she loved him, and she had been in love with him for a long while. He had to be dreaming. "It don't matter Alyssa. If we do this here you are gonna be upset with yourself in the morning. We can wait, until I marry you proper like. It's what your parents would have wanted for you and it's what I want for you too." Daryl told her.

"So let's go to Canton tonight and get married." She told him.

Daryl let out a laugh. "Is that really what you want? I ain't even proposed yet Alyssa. And I ain't gonna propose until you know everything you need to know…I already told ya that. Once I do, and I propose to ya like a gentleman, then I also want you to have a real nice wedding. You deserve that." He told her as he held her in his arms.

Alyssa nodded. "I promise you Daryl, no matter what you tell me my answer is going to be…" He cut her off.

"Don't say it until I ask you. Promise me that." He told her.

"Alright. But none of that matters, I do love you Daryl." She told him as she pulled him once again into a kiss. He moaned, half with pleasure and half with sexual frustration. He couldn't believe that he stopped her when she had been willing, but he knew in the long run it would be better for both of them.

They sat back and listened to the news and Daryl was disturbed at how it looked like Europe was moving towards full out war. Germany, Poland, Russia…those countries were fighting to hold onto their land and Germany was rolling into them like a tidal wave. He had thought the Great War would have taken care of Germany once and for all, but the country had been left in ruins and that allowed a sociopath like Adolph Hitler to come to power. The worse thing in the news was what was happening to the Jews in Europe. Their situation was no better or possibly worse than the situation with the coloreds in Holly Springs. And as if things weren't bad enough in Europe, it looked like Japan was launching a campaign of their own in the Pacific. Daryl hated war…he had experienced it first hand and new there was nothing glamorous about it. He and Merle had been heralded as heroes when the Great War ended, but Daryl never felt like one. Instead he felt like a coward that had wanted nothing more than to die that day in France, but instead he had the unfortunate pleasure of living. But now, after meeting Alyssa, and knowing that a woman like her was in love with him, he was re-thinking how he thought about life. For once, he had to admit life was pretty good.

When it came time for Daryl to leave for the night it seemed like neither wanted to separate from the other. Daryl finally gave Alyssa one last kiss and loving embrace and then stood up and made his way for the door.

"Hey Daryl…what do you want for dinner tomorrow night?" She asked.

"Surprise me." He said as he leaned in and gave her one final kiss.

He went out to his truck and started heading back to his own home. He couldn't wipe the grin off his face. Daryl was so caught up in his joy he didn't even realize that someone had been sitting across the road watching him as he left.

Will Dixon didn't like the fact that his youngest son had taken up with the haughty bitch that thought she was better than him. It was bad enough that Merle had found Jesus and had gone and married the little girl next door, but Will knew it was just a matter of time before Daryl started believing the bullshit that whore was filling his head with. She was trying to convince him that he was actually worth something, but Will Dixon knew his youngest son was nothing but a weak pussy that wasn't worth two cents. Somehow, he was gonna knock that boy down a few pegs and make him realize that he wasn't ever gonna be nothing more than poor white Dixon trash, just like him. Will was just going to have to bide his time and keep an eye out on his boy and wait for the perfect opportunity to punish Daryl for his insubordination.

For now, Will had other things to tend too. He finally met a woman that actually seemed to care about him as well as share his same beliefs. She was a fiery red head who realized Will's potential and he needed to go and get his fill of her. She was a good twenty plus years younger than him, but that just made him like her all the better. Yeah, Ms. Paula Lindstrom was a force to be reckoned with, and he was about to go do some reckoning.

…

Rosita Espinosa was about as opposite of Beth as any person could be. She was no nonsense, slightly aggressive, and straight forward. With that being said, Alyssa was glad to have her as her new nurse. Rosita showed up and immediately went through the supplies, made notes, and then began to familiarize herself with the patient files. Alyssa had so many patients now that she had to add a second file cabinet and she was now having supplies delivered twice a week instead of once a week. They had a delivery that had arrived early this morning and Rosita insisted on being allowed to catalog and shelf the items so that she could "familiarize" herself with Alyssa's method of organization. Alyssa was impressed with the woman's thoroughness.

Since Rosita had an expertise in child birth, Alyssa pointed out the patients that were currently expecting and how far along they were in their pregnancies. The only one she didn't mention was Beth, since she knew the two women would be working together on some shifts then she would let Beth tell Rosita herself. It was comforting to know that she had someone with Rosita's skills to help out. Together they probably would have been able to have saved Lori Grimes from the butchering Blake had put her through.

It was close to lunch time when Officer Walsh made a surprise visit and came into the office.

"Hello ladies- just doing my rounds and decided to take a ride out here to check on things. Good to see you Miss Espinosa." Shane said flashing Rosita a smile.

"You too Officer Walsh." Rosita replied, her face in a slight blush. Alyssa might not have been the smartest person in the world, but seeing Shane and Rosita blushing in front of her, she realized the two must have taken a shine to each other.

"Just thought I would put the word out that they are opening up a new quarry in the southwest portion of town. They are looking for good strong men regardless of race and they are going to pay pretty well. I heard a dollar an hour. I know you go down to the other side of town a few times a week to help out Dr. Bob, so maybe you could put the word out." Shane informed them.

"Shane, that is so thoughtful of you. I'll definitely pass the word around." Alyssa said giving the handsome officer a sweet smile.

"Thank you ma'am. Miss Espinosa, could I speak to you outside for a moment?" Shane asked and Rosita nodded. She got up from her desk and followed Shane outside to his car. Alyssa didn't want to be nosy, but she would have had to have been blind not to see the way Shane was whispering in Rosita's ear, or the way that the woman was playing with her hair nervously, tucking it behind her ear. Alyssa knew the feeling all too well, when she was around Daryl she would do the same things. There was definitely something romantic going on between the two of them. It made Alyssa's heart swell to know there was a soft side to the strong and stoic Rosita Espinosa.

…

Will woke that morning without a hangover. He had been trying to stay sober and it was a challenge. His hand's shook, he was vomiting continuously, and his mood had been foul…and the craving for the alcohol that had been his escape from life for the past forty plus years was not going away. Will wasn't trying to quit drinking for moral reasons, it was more because of what that bitch of a doctor had told him about his liver. He wasn't a complete fool and he could see the slightly yellow tint in his skin tone, and the unexplained bruises that looked like he had the hell beaten out of him, when in fact he had just bumped into something.

He had spent the previous evening with Paula and the two had discussed the agenda of the movement they were both intent on supporting. Will had joined the Klan six months earlier and had gone through the rigors of becoming a full fledged member and endured the initiation process. It was one of the things that had attracted Paula to him. She was willing to do what ever she could to make sure that Holly Springs stayed segregated and that the Negroes learned they needed to keep with their own kind. She saw Will as an enforcer, and in fact his role was part of the "Wrecking Crew".

You could tell that Paula was once quite the looker, but hard living and stress had taken its toll on her beauty. She was still attractive, but she looked several years older than her actual age of thirty-five. She was widowed and had lost three daughters to scarlet fever. Her first husband had been a piss poor provider and died in a drunken brawl. She was forced to live in a filthy run down shack in the poorest part of Canton and her youngest daughter contracted the fever from one of the kids next door. The fever spread to the other two daughters and Paula couldn't afford to take off from work to care for them. Within a week all three had succumbed to the sickness and Paula was left alone. The irony of it all was that her mother passed away a month later and Paula received the family's inheritance. She was able to move away from Canton and into a nice home in Holly Springs, leaving the misery of her life in Canton behind.

After moving to Holly Springs she had found out that her husband had been frequenting some of the liquor houses that were abundant on the East side of the town, and from that day on, Paula blamed all of her misfortunes on the "fucking Niggers" that had corrupted her husband. Had he of stayed away from the savages then maybe he could have kept a job, stayed sober, and most likely it would have prevented the loss of her children. She was bitter, and she had taken that anger and bitterness and turned it into supporting those that held the same views as her, White Supremacy. When she met Will, she didn't see a drunken failure, she saw a man willing to fight for the purity of her race.

As the day progressed Will had begun to go through his mail that he had neglected. He opened up his bank statement and a frown crossed his face. The funds transferred into his account after the harvest seemed to be considerably less than the ten percent he had been expecting. He had expected close to four thousand dollars to get him through the year until next years harvest, but instead there was only half that amount.

"Fucking cheating bastards." He said to himself. He began to slam things around in the house in a vain attempt at finding a cheap bottle of liquor, then he remembered he had had tossed the shit out, further infuriating him. It was at this moment he heard Merle's voice as he entered in through the kitchen door.

"What are you doing slamming shit around." Merle said to his father.

"You bastards shorted me on the harvest." Will said accusingly.

"I ain't done no such thing. You know Jess handles all the distributions, and trust me, he wouldn't short you of all people. The last thing he wants to do is spend time with you explaining how the money got disbursed." Merle told him.

"That fucking Squaw lover would short me in a second. The bastard has always had it in for me and he has turned you against me too." Will bellowed.

"He ain't done no such thing. I don't like ya because you're a drunken prick. You ain't never done a God Damned thing for me, and don't go thinking you did." Merle said back, getting angry. He should have known coming down here to try to figure out what the old man had been up too was a mistake.

"That's bullshit. I was a good daddy to you…until that little bastard of a brother of yours came along." Will told him.

"Nope…you checked out on mama long before Daryl. You decided you loved booze and whores a whole lot better than you loved your own damn family. Don't blame Daryl for this. She loved you and stayed faithful to you even after all the shit you put her through. I was old enough to remember the things you did to her…how you would force yourself on her, and she just let you because she didn't have any other choice." Merle said in an angry tone. He wasn't going to let his father disrespect his mother, and he damn sure wasn't going to let him blame Daryl for his failures as a parent.

"You don't know shit you ungrateful moron. You're mama was a whore who turned you against me and then purposely let herself get pregnant with Daryl. Hell, I don't even know if the little shit is mine, he damn sure don't look like me." Will said, angering Merle even more.

"Whatever. I came down here to check on you, but I can see this was a waste of my time. Rot in hell old man." Merle said as he left his father's house. He had taken a break from moving to stop by and see if he could plant a few seeds of trust with his father, but as usual, Will couldn't be civil for a moment. He couldn't wait to just head back to the house and take direction from Beth. He never thought he would love a woman bossing him around, but Beth Dixon could tell him to pull his finger nails out and he would do so willingly. He thought briefly about warning Jess about Will's little tirade, but decided Will wouldn't bother with Jess. For some reason or another Uncle Jess was the only person that his father seemed to rightfully avoid.

…

"Merle baby, what's wrong." Beth said the minute she saw Merle walk into their new house.

"I ain't gonna be able to help out with daddy dearest." Merle said in a tone a bit more angry than intended.

"Then don't. All we did was ask you to try. What did he say that has got you so upset?" Beth said.

"Too Damn much. He called my mama a whore, said Daryl was the cause of him drinking so much, and that Daryl probably wasn't even his kid." Merle told Beth just as Daryl walked in. Merle stopped talking when he saw the look on Daryl's face when he realized Daryl had heard what Merle had just said.

"He called Mama a whore?" Daryl said in a gravely tone. There was one thing that was sacred in Daryl Dixon's world, and that was his beloved mother. Hearing that Will had said something so scathing about her caused something to snap in Daryl's head.

"Daryl…Look, he's always saying shit he doesn't mean." Merle said trying to reel Daryl back in. It was too late. Daryl left and all Merle could hear was tires spinning on the gravel road outside. Merle went to go after his brother but Beth stopped him.

"Let him go Merle, he'll be OK. Let him work this out on his own."

Merle didn't like it, he had always felt the need to watch out after Daryl, but he knew Beth was right. If Daryl was ever gonna get past his issues, he needed to stand on his own. It wasn't what Merle wanted, but he knew it was what Daryl needed.

…

It was getting late afternoon and Daryl was on eighth glass of liquor. After hearing what Merle had said Daryl had drove straight to his father's house to confront him, but the asshole was gone. He needed to hit something, but Alyssa would kill him if he showed up later with his hand busted to hell. So instead, he did something that he hadn't done in years, he went to the bar and began to drink away his anger.

The alcohol burned and soothed at the same time. He hadn't meant to drink so much, but one drink became two and two drinks became eight. He was sufficiently intoxicated and had to admit, he felt much better than he had earlier. He still wanted to beat the shit out of his father, but for now he just allowed the liquor to numb him. He took a look at the clock on the wall and noted it was getting close to the time he would need to head to Alyssa's. For some reason it hadn't clicked in his mind that he was drunk…not just a little drunk, but really drunk.

He sat at the bar, swaying a bit and trying to wipe the remnants of the words Merle had said earlier from his mind. A conversation a few seats down from him caught his attention when he heard "Dixon" mentioned. He turned to see the greasy weasel Mitch talking to some fellows he didn't recognize. Though Daryl's mind was fuzzy, the voice of one of the unknown men sounded familiar, but he couldn't place from where.

"Dixon said we need to act soon. We need to send a message and strike while the iron is hot. We've got info and schedules and plans go into action tonight. Tomorrow night we get the kid and follow the same plan as before." The man with the familiar voice said.

"Dave…do we know where the kid is?" Mitch asked.

"Tony here said he's got a lead. Our informant gave us the address." The man named Dave responded. Daryl knew just about everyone in town, and this Dave and Tony guy must have come from Canton. He wasn't fully processing what the guys were saying, but he got a gut feeling they were talking about something related to the other part of town. He was certain his father and Mitch were involved with the Klan…does that mean that these two were as well? Shit, now he wished he was sober enough to make sense of it all.

Daryl stood up from his bar stool and stumbled. His awkward movement caught the attention of the three men sitting at the bar beside him.

"Well if ain't Daryl 'fucked in the head' Dixon." Mitch said laughing.

"Fuck you man." Daryl said.

Mitch just laughed. "You can barely stand Dixon, don't think it would to fair of a fight if I came after your pansy ass. Besides, your daddy did a real good job of filling me in on how much of a pussy you are…I don't hit girls."

For the second time today, Daryl snapped and rounded on Mitch. He might have been drunk, but Daryl knew how to throw a very impressive punch. He nailed the asshole square in the nose with a resounding "crunch".

"Big mistake Dixon." Mitch said as he and the other two men grabbed Daryl and dragged him out of the bar. Dave and Tony held Daryl while Mitch began to throw punches. The first one hit Daryl on the side of the head, causing him to see stars. He focused and managed to shift himself just enough to avoid the second punch coming for his face. Frustrated, Mitch stomped Daryl in the knee, causing Daryl to let out a high pitched grunt as he felt his knee cap explode in pain. Instead of Daryl giving in to Mitch's attack, he let his adrenaline take over and pulled out of the two large men's grip and dove forward taking Mitch to the ground. As furious as Mitch was, he was impressed with Daryl's strength. He'd seen larger men give up with less of a fight.

When it looked like Daryl had the upper hand on Mitch, Dave and Tony ripped Daryl off of Mitch and threw him to the ground. They began to kick and punch at Daryl as he lay in the dirt attempting to get back up. Daryl was swearing and attempting to fight back, but his movements were becoming uncoordinated, so he resulted to hurling insults at the trio.

"That all y'all got? You ain't nothing but a bunch of pussies." He taunted. That managed to get him a smack across the face. Daryl pulled himself up on his knees, in pain as the knee Mitch had kicked received the brunt of his weight. He didn't make it up very far before Dave and Tony were back on him, holding him tighter this time, and Mitch was getting ready to begin a deluge of punches to Daryl.

"Daryl Dixon?" A questioning voice shouted. Mitch, Tony and Dave looked over and saw Sheriff Grimes parking his patrol car and the threesome took that moment to drop Daryl and take off.

Daryl fell into the dirt, rambling threats at his now long gone assailants and Rick quickly came over to assess Daryl's injuries. "Daryl what the hell man? You are drunker than a skunk and beat all to hell."

"Did I win?" Daryl asked as he slumped out of Rick's grip and passed out.

…

Rosita's first day at the office had been a busy one. It seemed like today was the day that everyone in Holly Springs had become an uncoordinated klutz. Her and Alyssa had stitched up lacerations from farming incidents, dog bites, two cooking knife accidents, and one kid who had jumped out of a hayloft into a pile of hay and landed on the only nail sticking out in the barn. They had also dealt with a few cases of the sniffles and a few cases of the flu. Alyssa was a bit concerned that the flu outbreak seemed to be starting early this year. There wasn't a lot she could do to treat the ailment, except prescribe some items that would help to alleviate the symptoms.

It was nearing the end of the day and Alyssa and Rosita were getting the supplies ready for their trip to Dr. Bob's the next day. Merle had called Alyssa twice to see if Daryl had shown up. He didn't go into details as to why he was so eager to find his brother. Unfortunately, Alyssa had been so busy with patients she didn't have time to inquire either.

Rosita grabbed her jacket to leave and was met at the door by Rick, carrying a very battered Daryl. She quickly looked at Alyssa "Do you need me to stay?"

Alyssa looked at Daryl and her heart sank. "No Rosita, I can handle this. I'll see you in the morning, thanks for your hard work today."

Rosita still looked a bit apprehensive about leaving, but she figured there was a reason Alyssa didn't want her to stay, so against her better judgement she left.

Rick helped Daryl over to the cot and sat him down. Daryl had awoken on the short ride from the bar over to Alyssa's and was mumbling incoherently. Alyssa got within a foot of Daryl and could smell the liquor on him. "Has he been drinking?" She asked to Rick with something between alarm and anger in her voice.

"Yeah, he was outside the bar getting the stuffing beat out of him by three guys. He passed out, but I don't know if it was because of his injuries or his alcohol intake." Rick told her.

"Can you call Merle and let him know Daryl's here. Something must have happened today to trigger this reaction. Daryl doesn't normally drink." Alyssa said to Rick. He nodded and left her alone with Daryl while he called Merle.

"Alyssa…" Daryl said in a slurred and very confused voice.

"Hey sweetie. How much have you had to drink?" She asked. She needed to know as part of her assessment of him.

"Too much. I'm sorry…do you hate me now?" He asked. Alyssa pulled the curtain so that she could examine Daryl.

"I told you last night I love you Daryl. Am I happy with you right now? No, but right now I'm more concerned about your injuries and your state of mind. Now don't be uncomfortable with what I'm going to ask, but I need to examine you and I need strip down to your boxers. I'll leave while you do it and I'll give you a sheet to cover yourself up. I'm sorry sweetie, but I have to make sure you are OK, and you don't seem to be in any condition to let me know on your own." She told him sweetly as she brushed the hair from his face to take a look at the bruise on the side of his head.

Daryl started to take off his blood spattered shirt and his fingers weren't working that well and he struggled with his buttons. "Alyssa?" He said in a pleading tone.

She nodded, knowing he needed help. She unbuttoned his shirt and slid it down off of his shoulders. She then tugged his undershirt that was still tucked in and helped him lift it up above the head. Daryl let out a slight wince as he performed the action and Alyssa felt bad that it was causing him discomfort. She unbuckled his belt for him and then she stopped. "Can you get your pants off?" She asked him.

He nodded and she then slipped back out to allow Daryl to undress himself alone. She went over to Rick while Daryl did so and asked him about Merle.

"Did you let Merle know that Daryl is here?" She asked him.

"Yeah, he said you can call him if you want him to come and pick up Daryl. Daryl's truck is still up at the bar, as you can tell he was in no condition to drive." Rick replied.

Alyssa let out a breath and closed her eyes. She was worried about Daryl, but what else was new. "Do you know what he was fighting over?"

"Not a clue. Just know he was doing an impressive job even though it was three on one. Remind me never to piss Daryl off." Rick said, trying to ease some of Alyssa's tension.

"How are you doing Rick? I know you have a lot on your plate right now." She told him.

"Frustrated. I'm looking for the guys that killed Mike, but no one in this town seems to know anything, I know there is a kid hiding somewhere in town to prevent becoming example number two, and I've got a suspicious car accident that has left a family of four dead. The entire crime scene was completely cleaned up before Shane or I could even get there to look for any evidence, and that doesn't set well with me. The county responded and the only one on my force that was there was the new deputy Gorman, and he said nothing looked out of the ordinary. He completely missed the fact that the entire driver side of the car was bashed in, yet the car hit head on. He's only been on my force a few days and I am already regretting my decision to hire him. Something is off, but I can't put my finger on it." Rick told her.

"Like what?" Alyssa asked.

"Like the fact that things have pretty much been kept together up until he ended up on the force. And then he didn't witness what happened with Mike in front of the church, which is in visual sight of the police station and I know Gorman was there at the time. Or the fact he was the first person on the accident scene, yet he said he was down on the West Side of town. It would have taken him a good fifteen minutes to get from down by the new quarry to the scene of the accident, and I have a hard time believing no one else saw it. That's the main road to Atlanta from here…gets lots of traffic." Rick said as he ran his fingers through his hair in obvious frustration.

"Maybe you can keep an eye on him discreetly. If he is somehow behind the two incidents then maybe he will slip up and leave behind a clue. If he thinks you trust him, then he might let his guard down. When he does, you can act." Alyssa told him.

"That's what I was planning on doing. I haven't even said anything to Shane, and I'd appreciate it if you kept it between us. The fewer people that know the better. I've got a bad feeling in my gut something big is going to happen, I just don't know what it is." Rick told her.

"Can I ask you something Rick? Noah…He's in danger. I know Michonne is close with everyone down in that part of town, has she mentioned anything about where Noah might be? Daryl wants to get him and his family out of here, but he knows that no one would trust him if he inquired about where Noah might be." Alyssa asked Rick.

Rick was hesitant to answer. "Father Gabriel knows, but you are right, he won't trust just anyone. About the only person in this town that's white that they trust is you. If you ask Gabriel, he might tell you. Whatever you and Daryl do, keep it between yourselves. I don't know who can be trusted anymore."

"I understand. At least I know what I need to do." Alyssa replied.

"Alyssa." They heard Daryl whisper from behind the curtain where he was.

"I'll see you Rick. I'm going to take care of my patient, thanks for looking out for him." Alyssa said as she gave Rick a hug.

"No problem…thanks for everything you have done for me and my family as well. You were there for us at a dark time. I don't know what we would have done without you." Rick said as he hugged her back and then left to return to his patrol.

…

Alyssa locked the door to the office and then went to check on Daryl. He was covered in the sheet she had given him, and even bruised, drunk, and battered he still made her heart skip a beat. However, she needed to be Dr. Cambridge at this moment and not Alyssa. Daryl was injured and she had to make sure it wasn't anything serious.

"How are you feeling?" She asked him as she began to work on him. She ran her fingers over the bruise on the side of his head and could feel swelling beneath the surface.

"Regretting a lot of shit right now." He confessed.

"Am I part of that?" She asked.

"Never." He said softly.

"So what made you decide to go on a bender in the middle of a Monday afternoon?" She asked him.

"Who else, my fucking father." He said.

"What happened between you and your father?" She asked him.

"Nothing directly, he said some disturbing shit to Merle and the next time I see the bastard I'm gonna kill him." Daryl said, getting angry. Alyssa was impressed at how much Daryl could swear when he was mad.

"First of all, you need to stay calm, you've got a bad wound on the side of your head and getting upset is just going to make it bleed more. Second of all, you aren't gonna kill your father. I'm not a fan of prison romances." She told him.

Daryl was quiet as she continued to examine him. She gently glided her fingers across his torso, back, and neck. He winced when she touched his ribs and she had him sit up.

"I'm going to feel around your ribs and see if I can feel a break. Are you having any difficulty breathing?" She asked him.

"When you have a beautiful woman touching you the way you are? Of course I'm having a hard time breathing." Daryl said, sounding a bit more sober than he did when Rick first brought him in.

"Stop joking Daryl. I'm serious." She said a little frustrated.

"I'm breathing fine. I'm sure I've got some bruised ribs and I'm gonna be sore for the next few days, but I've had worse." He told her.

"I think you've got a slight concussion…I don't like how your pupils look. You are showing other signs, but that may be from the alcohol, I can't really tell. Why don't you stand up for me and take a few steps so I can check your balance." She told him.

Daryl stood up and immediately his knee buckled and he almost fell to the floor. Alyssa caught him and guided him back to the cot. "What's going on with your leg?" She asked him.

"Mitch took a boot to my knee cap. It hurts like a bitch." He told her.

Alyssa slid the sheet up to expose Daryl's bare leg to her and she looked at the knee. It was swollen and warm to the touch. Just the slight contact she made with the knee caused Daryl to gasp.

"So It looks like you've got some bruised ribs, a slight concussion, and badly injured knee. I'm going to wrap your ribs, splint the knee to limit mobility, and monitor you overnight for the concussion. Looks like we're spending the night together Mr. Dixon." She told him.

Daryl let out a soft hum. "If I'd of known getting my ass kicked would get you to spend the night with me I'd of done this a while ago." He told her.

"Daryl…stop. This isn't something to joke about. You could have gotten killed. What started the fight?" She asked in a slightly more terse voice.

"Too much liquor and some of my dad's buddies talking shit about me. Reckon everyone in town knows I'm fucked in the head and my asshole father feels he needs to share my private business with everyone." Daryl said as his breathing became a bit harder. He could feel the anger and the humiliation rising in his chest.

"I told you to stay calm Daryl. Maybe since we are going to be spending the evening together we can talk about some of the things you wanted me to know about?" She asked him.

Daryl looked at her, trying hard to focus on how pretty she was. That was when she noticed his pallor was changing color.

"Daryl, what's wrong?" She asked.

"Get me a bucket…I'm gonna be sick." He said as Alyssa grabbed a bucket for him to throw up into.

She gently rubbed his back as his stomach churned. Daryl was hurting, and now he was sick from the alcohol…or the concussion, she wasn't really sure. The good news was it was only the contents of his stomach he was vomiting…no blood. That meant he most likely didn't have any internal injuries.

When he seemed to have sufficiently discarded all of the food he had ingested, he laid his aching head back down on the cot. Oh yeah, he was definitely regretting his decisions now. One thing though, as much as he could tell that Alyssa was frustrated with him, she was also worried. That was what bothered him the most. He didn't want to be a burden on her because she didn't deserve it and as much of an asshole as he had been today, she was taking care of him. She was placing a cool cloth on his head to ease the headache, preparing him some soothing tea for his nausea, and gently speaking to him so he would relax. He didn't deserve her, but he didn't want to let her go either.

"Daryl can I get you anything?" She asked as he was deep in thought.

"Naw, you being here is all I need." He assured her as he reached out and took her hand.

"I'm going to get the radio and a few blankets. It gets chilly in here at night, unless you think you can move into the house. I've got your clothes washing but it will take them a while to dry." She told him.

"Do you got any crutches? I can use them to get into the main house." He told her. He knew he was sore, and a bit disoriented, but he knew it would be easier on her if they were in the warm house. She would insist on staying out there with him, and he didn't want her cold.

She brought him the crutches, and somehow he managed to keep the sheet wrapped around him and hold himself up as they both worked to get him in the house and onto her sofa. She quickly grabbed a quilt and placed it on top of him and then ran to get him a pillow. Daryl reached out his arm and caught her.

"Alyssa, you've done enough. I'm feeling like shit but that's the hangover. Sit down and I think it's time I start to tell you some things about my past. You OK with that?" He asked her.

She looked at him and smiled "Only if you are up to it."

"It's time, I can't risk getting my ass kicked just to feel your hands on me like that again. I gotta make an honest woman of you first, and the sooner you know about the crazy things that go on in my head, the sooner we can get hitched." He told her as he looked at her intently.

"Well get talking Mr. Dixon…I'm here to listen." She said knowing this was gonna be hard for him.

I am so sorry about the delayed update, but work was crazy last week and I couldn't find the time to put what I wanted into this story. This chapter was going to be much longer, but it was getting too big, so the second part will blend into the next chapter.

 **Paula- She's the redhead that was on Negan's crew in case you were wondering. FYI- Shane won't be a bad guy in this story, there are plenty enough in this one. I need a few good men LOL. Anyhow, I got some incredible and encouraging reviews last chapter and I want to ask you to keep 'em coming. They mean the world to me and your feedback is why I continue to write. I want to give you a good story.**

 **Special shout out to the following:**

 **Hmatlock**

 **Smilejul**

 **Jeanf**

 **Miss October 13 (Thanks for reading my other stories as well sugar!)**

 **ToshimiOkami**

 **Avaleigh1**

 **And my special guest reviewer.**

 **Stay tuned for the next chapter and let me know if you want to see anything spectacular. I know there hasn't been anything explicit yet between Daryl and Alyssa-but there will be when they get to that point in their relationship. I'm trying to keep with the behaviors and morals of the time.**

 **Thanks for reading-**

 **Missy**

 **XXOO**


	10. Chapter 10

Hey Guys-

I haven't forgot about this story…I've been swarmed with work responsibilities and I've been two worn out mentally to write….next chappie is in the works but I don't want anyone to think I've abandoned it.

Thanx for your patience-

Missy


	11. Chapter 11

"So where do you want to start?" Alyssa asked him.

Daryl took a deep breath. He hated talking about his past, but he needed too. "I'll start with my momma." He told her.

"I think I know a way to make this easier for you. How about I ask you questions and then you can answer them. That way you don't really have to do all the talking…does that sound good?" She asked him.

Daryl nodded. This wasn't going to be easy and he still felt like hell, but maybe getting it off his chest would help. Daryl was laying prone on the couch and Alyssa tucked her small body into him. He eased him self back and wrapped his arm around her to keep her from falling off the relatively narrow sofa. As much as his body ached feeling her against him seemed to soothe the pain.

"So tell me about your mom…before she met your daddy." Alyssa asked him first, thinking it would be easier for him to ease into the conversation.

"She was raised really strict by her parents. She was an only child and they doted on her, but they asked a lot of her too. She was real prim and proper…and delicate. Prettiest girl in the county they used to say. She was the Cotton Queen in 1891 when she was fourteen. It was the Cotton queen parade that my daddy first saw her and he fell for her right away. In a way Beth sort of looks a lot like my mama…might be one of the reasons Merle felt so comfortable around her." Daryl said.

"I did notice some similarities in the photo I saw of her. Did you ever get a new frame?" She asked him.

"Naw…ain't really got around to it. Probably should though, it's not like I got too many memories of her." Daryl said in a longing tone. He missed his mother, had every day since the day she passed. It didn't mean he was a momma's boy or anything, it was that she was one of the few good memories he had in his life. Other than Alyssa, she was the only female he was truly close too. He had Hannah and Clarissa, but that wasn't the same.

"So did your parents start seeing each other at that time?"

"They did. My asshole of a father talked my mom into…well, let's just say that Merle came nine months later." Daryl told her, not quite being able to say the words of what his mother and father had done at such a young age.

"So once your mother found out she was in the family way, what happened?" Alyssa asked, knowing Daryl was a bit uncomfortable talking about the subject.

"From what Jess told me, her parents were furious. Merle nor I never met them. They showed up at my Daddy's parent's house literally with a shotgun and forced them to get married. I doubt the realized they were sentencing her to a life of misery. Daddy had just abandoned her when she told him she was expecting, but it wasn't like it was a secret she could keep. She had no one and I reckon it had become obvious to her parents. They were cold hearted. Forced the marriage and just walked away from her. Their pride and joy had 'tarnished' the family, and they wrote her off like she never existed. I'm glad I never met them…anyone who could of thought my momma was anything but a loving and caring woman doesn't deserve one second of my time." Daryl said, a slight anger in his voice.

"I never could understand how a parent could abandon a child…no matter what they could have possibly done wrong in their life. In fact, your mother didn't do anything wrong, it sounds to me like her naivete was taken advantage of by your father. They should have done more to protect their daughter from being put in a situation where she was so vulnerable. My guess is that your grandma never even explained the facts of life to her. And then to have your father run out on her when she was so young, and most likely terrified and feeling alone…she dealt with a lot." Alyssa said to Daryl, trying to get him to understand that it wasn't just his father that was at fault for what happened.

"Yeah, she did, but she didn't blame no one, or take pity on herself. I reckon my granddaddy Earl had a good talking too with my daddy, and Will finally stepped up and took responsibility. Granddaddy helped him build the house I live in now, and he actually was going to church with momma for a while. He was a proud poppa, worked real hard on the farm, and took good care of her and Merle until Merle was around four." Daryl said

"What happened to make him change?" She asked him.

Daryl was silent for a moment. "Booze…I reckon."

"So he didn't drink at first, then all of a sudden he became a drunk?" She inquired, wondering what changed.

"No, it won't like that. He started out congregating with the guys his age in town, and at first it was a once a month thing…he was about twenty one or twenty two…believe it or not, Hershel was one of the guys he was running with. Hershel was older. Momma didn't think it was that big of a deal at first…then once a month became once a week, and then it became an everyday thing. He would come home drunk…they'd fight, and it just got worse. He wouldn't work no more, which meant no money. Momma would plead with him, and that usually got her rewarded with a slap. Proud as she was, she didn't ask for no help until she had no other choice. My Grandparents helped with what they could, but there was a drought and things were hard all the way around. She would sell eggs just to buy enough flour to make biscuits. Merle said through it all she never got mad at him, and he never went hungry, though he was sure she did at times." Daryl said.

"It sounds like she was a strong woman Daryl. Was there a point that your parents reconciled their differences? I mean, obviously they were intimate at times or else you wouldn't be here. She must have still loved him." Alyssa asked.

Daryl shut down for a minute. He closed his eyes and tried to get his breathing under control and Alyssa realized she touched on something Daryl didn't want to disclose.

"Sweetie what is it?" Alyssa asked in a concerned voice as she reached out and grabbed his hand. She could feel him trembling and she suddenly regretted asking him the question.

"Alyssa…she didn't love him anymore…there were no sweet 'intimate' moments between them. He forced himself on her after beating the hell out of her first. It wasn't the first time, but Merle said around that time Daddy barely came home. That night He literally broke the door down and brutally attacked and…" he then whispered the next words "he raped her. I won't no product of love, I was a product of hate and violence." Daryl said as his voice shook angrily and his entire body became stiff as a board.

"Oh." Was all Alyssa could manage to get out, and that was obviously the wrong response.

"Fuck it Alyssa…I know what you and everyone else thinks of me. First there is pity, and then there is disgust. Yeah, I am a result of something so violent and disgusting there ain't no way I could ever be anything other than shit. No matter how hard I try…I'm never gonna be nothing better than the product of rape and shame." He said as tears streamed down his face. He wiped them away quickly, but Alyssa saw the hurt behind them. Daryl felt guilty for something he had no control over.

"Daryl you couldn't help any of that. I was an idiot thinking assuming that your parents still had the occasional happy times. That was my mistake and why I responded like I did. How could you have stopped what happened from occurring? You might have been conceived from something horrible, but that doesn't mean you are a bad person. Your dad was the one who was the monster, not you." She said as she rubbed his hand trying to comfort and calm him.

"I just always felt like I was a burden." Daryl confessed.

"Did your mother ever treat you that way?" She asked him.

Daryl thought for a moment. "No. She always treated me with love, affection, and kindness. She never made me feel bad about nothing. She made both Merle and me feel special. We didn't have money, but we never knew it…she made us happy. Even when the asshole would come home drunker than a skunk, she would protect us and do everything she could to keep us away from him. We had a lot of sleepovers at my grandparents house." Daryl told her, an actual smile coming to his face when he thought about his beloved granddaddy and grandma.

"They would spoil us the best they could. They knew what was going on at the house, and I heard Merle say that Granddaddy even confronted daddy about it, but all my granddaddy ended up with was a black eye and a huge sense of guilt." Daryl said.

"So how did your mama pass? You told me you were four…do you remember much of it?" She asked him.

"All of it. I remember everything from that day." Daryl said.

"Are you sure you can go on? I don't want to push you too much Daryl?" Alyssa said in a concerned tone.

"Nah…I got to get this out. You want to know and should know, so I'll tell ya. The day before she passed she had taken me and Merle down to Nutbush creek to play and have a picnic. She had brought squirrel and dumplings…Merle had actually snared the squirrels himself. I helped him…kind of." Daryl let out a small laugh "anyhow, we stripped down to our under clothes and played in the creek and swam most of the afternoon. Mama just laughed and smiled at us while we had the best time. When we were done we stopped and picked a bucket of blueberries. That night I remember momma used some day old biscuits and topped them with the blueberries and sweet cream. It was the best desert I remember eating in my life. A true treat for us. I could tell momma was feeling a bit poorly though, she was holding onto her stomach and looked really pale. Merle asked her if she was OK and she said that she thought she had eaten too many blueberries. She tucked us in that night and gave us each a kiss and told us she loved us. Merle pretended to be too old to be tucked in, but I knew he liked it just fine." Daryl said.

"So I am going to assume the stomach ache had something to do with her passing?" Alyssa asked him.

Daryl nodded "It was her appendix. They burst in the middle of the night. Momma was always in the kitchen making biscuits when I woke up in the morning. That morning she wasn't and I ran to her room and found her collapsed on the floor by her bed. I called for Merle and we both got her back up on the bed. He left me with her and ran and got our Grandparents. I held her hand and begged her to get better. She was so pale and her body was so hot from fever I knew she was bad off. My grandparents came over and Granddaddy Earl ran to the doctor as soon as he saw her. Dr. Blake came by and figured what was wrong pretty quick. There wasn't anything they could do at that point. She was in and out of consciousness those last few hours, and the last thing I remember her doing was pulling me and Merle in for a kiss and telling us she loved us. Then just like that she was gone. They tried to get me to let go of her, but I couldn't. In my four year old mind I thought if I didn't let her go she would come back." Daryl got quiet and lost in his thoughts for a few moments.

"You still OK Daryl?" Alyssa asked him.

"Yeah. Hadn't thought about that day in a while. Granddaddy delivered the news to Momma's parents and they told him that she reaped what she sowed. That response told my grandparents what they needed to know then and there…we didn't need to be around them and to this day, I've never met them. Don't know if they had more kids or if I've got cousins. They were still young when Momma and Daddy married and could have had more…I don't know nor do I care. Her own parents couldn't bother to come to her funeral…I can't forgive them for that. Hell, they may even still be alive." Daryl said in a bitter tone.

"I certainly can see why you feel the way you do." Alyssa assured him.

"The funeral was beautiful and sad at the same time. People in town said they heard my cries all throughout the valley. I felt so lost at that moment, and things never really got any better. Granddaddy found Daddy and told him he had to take care of us now, so Daddy came home. He could bring his whores in and out of the house and he drank all the time. He started abusing Merle really bad…beating him so bad one night I thought I was gonna lose him. We were hungry all the time since we rarely got fed. My Grandparents both got yellow fever and passed away within a week of each other and it was Merle who made the funeral arrangements. We didn't know how to get the news to Jess with him being out west, and Daddy was of no use."

Daryl continued "Merle got arrested for stealing food one time. He was trying his best to keep me safe and fed, but he was barely fifteen and I was only seven. As Merle got older he started getting in and out of trouble and that left me home alone with good old dad. He beat me regularly…and did unspeakable things to me…got in my head really bad. By the time I was twelve I didn't want to be around no one. If I said anything to anyone and he found out, then the punishment was really bad. Twice he beat me with a hot poker because the school sent someone over to check on me when I was in too bad of shape to make it in. If there was a way to punish me, he did it. To this day I can't fully straighten my arm because he snapped it when he accused me of hiding his liquor. I didn't of course, but Merle had come home and found it and drank it himself. Poor Merle felt so bad after that he didn't know what to do."

"How did you do in school Daryl?" Alyssa asked him in a curious tone.

"Believe it or not I did real well. I kept all A's and almost graduated top of our class. I had good enough grades that I could have gone to college, but the thought of being around all them strangers made me physically sick. I knew those folks would never accept me and only see me as the white trash I was." He confessed to her.

Alyssa now had tears running down her face. It killed her to see how little he thought of himself. "Daryl you are not white trash…neither is Merle. The only white trash I can see is your Daddy and your momma's parents. You didn't do anything wrong Daryl. You rose above and survived those horrific things. And not going to college hasn't hurt you one bit. You and your family run a very successful farm. Don't forget my Daddy let ours fall into ruin. He was a good man, but he just didn't have what it took to run it successfully. Don't ever let yourself think you're a failure Daryl. If I have to spend the rest of my years reminding you of that I will…I promise." She said as she leaned in and gave him a quick kiss.

Daryl pulled her closer and she gingerly arranged herself so that he wouldn't feel any additional discomfort. They laid there like that for a while when Daryl bolted upright and startled Alyssa. He winced in pain

"What is it Daryl? Does something hurt?" She asked confused.

"No, but I just remembered hearing something while I was at the bar. It didn't make much sense but it does now. Mitch and those other assholes said they had a contact that had told them where the "boy" was. I know for a fact that Mitch is a Klansman. I think they were talking about Noah. They said they would get him tomorrow night. We need to go down there now." Daryl said with his voice laced with worry as he painfully got himself up off the couch. He swayed a bit, but was able to stand.

"I'm gonna go get Michonne and see if she will help. Call Merle and let him know what's going on. I gotta help Noah." Daryl said.

"Daryl you can barely stand…if you are going then I'm going with you. You are gonna have a hard time driving your truck with your knee swollen. I can drive and I know they'll trust me. There's no point in endangering Michonne and we can't risk calling Merle, don't forget the telephone operators can listen in. It's just got to be the two of us Daryl. Let's go." Alyssa said emphatically.

…

It was close to midnight when they made it to East Holly Springs. Daryl had Alyssa drive the back roads and head south before they turned around and then headed North. He didn't want anyone to spot Alyssa and associate her with hiding Noah. The first place they went was to visit Father Gabriel. He was reluctant at first to talk to Alyssa with Daryl accompanying her, but Daryl did a good (and calm) job of explaining the urgency of the situation. They were both trying to convince Gabriel that they could be trusted, and as Gabriel continuously denied knowing anything, the back door into the sanctuary opened and Noah stepped out.

"Noah, I told you to stay put." Gabriel chastised.

"I know these people Father. Daryl is the one who got me out safely the night of the rally. I trust him." Noah said.

"You know who his father is and what he does." Gabriel warned.

"Whoa…what does my father do?" Daryl asked. He knew his Father was active in the Klan, but he didn't know what role specifically he held.

"He's an enforcer…a bully…a murderer. He was behind Mike's murder." Gabriel said in a matter of fact tone.

Daryl felt like the wind had been taken from him. He knew his father was nothing good, but murder? Daryl felt sick and Alyssa grabbed his shoulder to keep him from sinking to his knees.

"Daryl isn't his father, and neither is Merle or their Uncle Jess. They need to get Noah out of here tonight before it's too late, and Noah's family too." Alyssa said in a determined voice.

"We'll go. Pull the truck around back and we'll hide ourselves under a tarp." Noah told them.

Daryl had finally got a grasp of himself and pushed the horror of what he had just found out about his own blood down. "If you've got any supplies grab them. I'll come in a few days and bring more, but we don't have anything right now. We were planning on getting you out later in the week. I'm sorry." Daryl apologized.

By now Noah's mother had appeared with two younger boys who looked to be no older than ten. They looked identical and Daryl realized they were twins. "Thank you for this Mr. Dixon…thank you for before and thank you for now. I don't know how we will repay you." The woman said softly.

"Just stay safe and that's all the thanks I need. And you can call me Daryl. Now let's get going so we can get out of town before anyone spots us." Daryl said as he gave the woman a small smile. He knew his battered appearance must have been off putting.

Since they were heading up to the mountains and rougher terrain, Daryl insisted on driving. He didn't give a damn if his knee was killing him, all that mattered was keeping Noah safe and Alyssa away from any suspicion of Noah's concealment.

They arrived up at the cabin around two in the morning and used the lights from the truck to help get everyone in the cabin. There were a few cleaning supplies in Alyssa's truck that she left with them, and they carried in a crate of food and water that Gabriel had provided, along with a few blankets and pillows. It was sparse, but it would work for the night. Daryl went out to Alyssa's truck and returned with a shotgun. "Only use this if absolutely necessary. No one knows anyone is here and I don't know who all still lives in these woods. There's a fishing rod and tackle in the shed, but it may need some work before you can get it to work. I'll bring you some better stuff in a day or two. If it ain't me it will be Merle. I promise you we don't mean you no harm." Daryl said in his sincerest voice.

Noah nodded in affirmation. "Thanks Daryl. I don't know why you are doing this, but I appreciate every bit of this."

"I'm doing it because it's the right thing to do. I ain't my daddy…and I never will be." He said stoically.

"No Daryl, you aren't." Noah said as he clapped Daryl on the shoulder.

…

Alyssa and Daryl made it back to town shortly before Sunrise. Daryl was exhausted, hung-over, and in pain, but he felt better now that they had Noah and his family safely tucked away. It was one less thing Daryl needed to worry about for now. They made their way into Alyssa's house and Alyssa helped Daryl to the couch. He was limping pretty good and she really wanted to ice his knee and then re-wrap it before they went to sleep. Daryl insisted it could wait, but Alyssa could be stubborn when it came to proper medical care and she ignored his pleas to put it off to later.

After she iced his knee and re-wrapped it as planned she sat down on the couch he was laying and placed his lower legs across her own legs and let out an exhausted sigh.

"What is it Alyssa?" He asked in an equally tired voice.

"I've been thinking about what you told me last night. You told me about your mother and the abuse you suffered at your father's hands, and I don't understand at all why you would think I would think any less of you for that. You said there was something else you wanted to tell me about in your past related to what happened to you during the Great War, but we are both too tired to have that discussion today. There is one thing that is bothering me though Daryl." Alyssa said in a serious tone.

Shit, Daryl thought to himself. "What is it Alyssa, be honest with me. If it's about what my daddy has done, it's bothering me too. I can't imagine him actually killing someone…never thought he'd go that far, but then again I reckon I could imagine it. Ain't gonna lie though, if he did it he needs to pay for it, but I don't know how to prove it."

"It's not your father Daryl…that has nothing to do with you, but it is the drinking. If this relationship is going to go any further, I need you to promise me that the drinking won't happen again. I'm not opposed to wine at dinner, or a beer with your brother or uncle, but I don't like the idea of you going to the bars to get drunk. I wasn't raised around alcohol, but I know what it can do…and with your Father's issues, you would be susceptible to alcoholism. Even Merle admitted it was a problem for him as well. Will you promise not to do what you did yesterday again? Based on things you have told me about yourself in the past, it seems that is a crutch for you to escape from reality, and I can't have you doing that." She said to him.

Daryl knew she was right. He wasn't a heavy drinker for the most part, but he did get drunk on occasion and it never turned out well for him. It was the only way he could normally handle being around people outside of his family in a social situation and remain somewhat normal. He'd never had sex sober, and he really couldn't remember ever socializing in a sober atmosphere. The thought of himself socializing with others while completely in his right mind terrified him, but for Alyssa he was willing to try.

"OK, I promise, but I'll be honest with you, I don't really know how to handle being around folks sober." He admitted.

"You are sober around your family all the time and you just fine. And you were sober when you went to church with me. Just be yourself. If you don't feel like having a conversation, then don't. Just be polite, try not to glare at people, and if you are asked a question, try to answer it. If someone ever asks you something you don't want to talk about, then just tell them you don't want to discuss it. You don't have to be a social butterfly Daryl. Just try. Eventually it will get easier." She told him.

Daryl let out a grunt. "If you say so. For now, all I want to do is get some rest. Why don't you go on upstairs and get yourself some rest as well." He told her. He was answered by the sound of silence as he saw she had fallen asleep curled up on the other end of the couch. Daryl stiffly got up and grabbed a blanket that was draped over the chair and covered her up. He knew she couldn't be too comfortable laying the way she was so he eased himself down on the couch and gently pulled her up against him. His ribs screamed for just a moment, but it felt majestically wonderful holding her like this. He closed his eyes and relaxed his body, and soon he was asleep as well.

…

Three hours later they were both startled awake by someone knocking on the door to the office. Alyssa was confused when she realized she was wrapped up in Daryl's arms and then realized she must have dozed off. That meant that Daryl moved her so she would be more comfortable, and she had to admit, him holding her like that was extremely comforting. He might have been banged up, but he still possessed strength like no one she had ever met before. She giggled a little and heard Daryl ask "What's so funny?"

"Hold on and let me answer the door and I'll tell you later." She said as she made a quick attempt to smooth down her hair and the wrinkles in her cotton dress.

She opened the door and saw Rosita standing there, looking slightly perturbed. Shane was there with his patrol car running and looked like he had been waiting to make sure she had made it safely inside the office. Both women raised eyebrows at each other with suspicious looks, and then Rosita waved off Shane and he left to start his shift.

"Interesting night?" Rosita asked noticing that Alyssa still had on the clothes she was wearing the day before.

"What? Oh…I had an emergency call late last night and didn't get in until close to dawn this morning." Alyssa explained.

"What happened with the man they brought in last night as my shift was ending? Was he OK?" Rosita asked.

"Yes. He was battered but nothing too serious. I kept him here for observation over night to make sure there wasn't anything more severe wrong with him." Alyssa said as her face began to flush.

Of course, Rosita noticed everything "So where is he now? The patient beds are empty."

"He's inside on the couch asleep. I thought he would be more comfortable."

"Oh. Alyssa can I ask you something? Are you involved with the man?" Rosita asked bluntly.

"Actually I thought you knew that. Yes, his name is Daryl Dixon and we've been seeing each other for a while. I've actually been curious about you and Shane as well." Alyssa asked.

"I met him about a month ago in Canton. I had gone there with my cousin Karen to do some shopping and we were subjected to some offending insults from some locals while we walked through downtown. Shane had been there on business for Holly Springs PD and he came to our defense. He escorted us to Karen's truck and followed us home to make sure no one else bothered us. Karen invited him to dinner that night as a 'Thank you' and we have pretty much kept in contact since. With everything that happened this past weekend with that black man that was killed, Shane has pretty much insisted on making sure I'm escorted every time I travel." She said, and this time it was Alyssa who noticed a slight blush. Something told her that Shane and Rosita's relationship was far more advanced physically than her and Daryl's. A slight twinge of jealousy rose up from within, and Alyssa wasn't truly sure why.

"I haven't known Shane for that long, but he strikes me as a good man…fair, and loyal to Rick. I'm glad you two have each other." Alyssa told her.

"Me too. Since you had a late night, and you still have a house guest why don't you let me handle things here this morning. If anything comes up I will let you know. Get some rest Alyssa." Rosita told the young doctor.

"Thanks Alyssa I will take you up on your offer. After lunch we need to go down to Dr. Bob's to help out. Are you up for that?"

"Sounds good…now go get some rest and take care of your man in there." Rosita said giving Alyssa a warm smile.

…

The men were going over the details of the 'night of retribution' they had been planning for a month. Will was coordinating with his team of 'enforcers' as to where and when they would hit first.

Mitch, sporting a bruised face stopped Will mid sentence "You need to get a handle on things at home Dixon. That fucking time bomb you call your youngest son disrespected me and I ain't gonna forget it."

Will looked at the younger man with total disdain "I wouldn't expect you to forget it. You're a man and you know how to handle this situation. Daryl's a lost cause and I can't do anything with him, and his fucking brother ain't no better. They both are disappointments to me and I don't give a shit what you do to them. Casualties of war you could say…" Will said. He truly didn't care anymore what happened to his sons. They had abandoned him…and worse than that, they looked more to Jess for guidance than they ever did for him. They were a lost cause and he was done with them. Their betrayal was unforgivable.

"So we follow the original plan of attack and finish up just as planned. Kill the Niggers and scare the shit out of the white sympathizers. Got it?" Will said.

"Just as you said boss. You alright with this?" Dave asked.

"Yeah…ain't gonna be no problems. We will send a message tonight that the good folks of this town are not to be threatened by the dark skinned beasts that have infected this place. Things change today." Will barked out.

The men all nodded and clapped each other on the backs as they agreed to the location and time they would meet up later that evening. Holly Springs had no idea what the night had in store for itself.

…

Alyssa and Rosita were finishing up at Dr. Bob's office. It was getting close to dinner time and the weather had shifted. There was now a late October chill followed up by blustery winds and Alyssa wanted nothing more than to get home, and fall into bed. She was exhausted after the late night and was unable to get any decent sleep.

Merle had been by to pick up Daryl shortly after ten in the morning. He didn't say anything to Daryl, but it didn't go unnoticed that it looked like his little brother and the doctor had shared the same sleeping space. He doubted seriously his brother or Alyssa had been intimate, but he also knew that this was a big step for both of them.

Once they were in the truck Merle began to question Daryl. "What the fuck inspired you to pull the stupid shit you did yesterday? We both know you turn into a complete asshole when you drink and do damn fool things."

"Merle, I ain't in any mood to discuss it." Daryl replied.

"I don't give a damn what kind of mood you are in. It's a mighty rare day when you are in a good mood. What the hell happened? You are limping around like a three-legged dog and your face looks like you went fifteen rounds with Joe Louis. Who did you piss off this time?" Merle inquired in a terse voice.

"Mitch Dolgen and a couple of his buddies. Merle…there's some shit I got to tell ya." Daryl said in a tone that made Merle realize this was something serious.

"Alright then, go on." Merle replied.

"First of all, we need to stop and get some supplies and take them up to the cabin. We found Noah and moved him, his mama, and brothers up there last night." Daryl said.

"Who is 'we'? Why didn't you call me?" Merle asked in a concerned tone.

"Alyssa and I. The preacher, Father Gabriel had been hiding him in a hidden room in the church. I had overheard Dolgen and his crew talking about some shit going down tonight…they mentioned someone had told them where Noah was. We didn't have time to come get ya and Alyssa pointed out that we can't be sure someone ain't listening in on our phone calls. We got 'em out, but they don't have many supplies. I also don't think it's best if I go up there today…if anyone saw me leaving town last night or coming back early this morning they may get suspicious." Daryl told his brother.

"Let's stop by the Rhee's store and load up on supplies and then I'll go up tonight. You can stay with me and Beth. She's been feeling poorly the last couple of days with that morning sickness shit and I don't want to leave her alone. If you want to invite Alyssa over that's fine, but I want you with her while I'm gone. The tension is too high around here and there is no telling when daddy might get drunk and want to stir up shit. Rumor has it though he's got himself a woman and has been sober for a few weeks. Might explain why we ain't seen too much of him lately and why he wouldn't drink with me yesterday. He's almost scarier when he's sober." Merle said.

"Well that's the other thing I gotta talk to you about…Folks down in Noah's part of town say Daddy leads a crew for the Klan…I can't remember what they called it, but they said he was the one who murdered Mike. I ain't saying that Mike didn't deserve to be punished for what he did to the Blake woman, but the way they did it won't right, and I never expected old Will to commit murder. If he is willing to kill then he needs to be locked up. Just ain't no way to prove it." Daryl said.

"On second thought, you need to insist on Alyssa staying with us. She ain't safe in that big house by herself. She's in a relatively secluded area and I know there are a lot of folks upset with her because she treats everyone…regardless of the color of their skin. She can stay with me and Beth, or she can stay with Jess and Hannah. Do you think you can convince her?" Merle asked.

"I don't know, but I can try." Daryl told his brother.

"Best you do, I don't want anything to happen to the best thing that has happened to you in a long time." Merle said, giving Daryl a brotherly pat on the shoulder.

Daryl was nibbling on his thumb nail trying to not think about how he would feel if anything happened to the woman he loved so deeply. His only concern was that Alyssa could be damn stubborn when she wanted to be, but he hoped she would hear him out.

…

Even though Daryl had bruised ribs, a bruised face, and an injured knee, Merle put him to work. Daryl had been adamant about getting a poultry house set up by the spring, and that meant that the men would have to work hard throughout the Fall and Winter to have everything together in time.

So Merle, Jess, and Daryl were working on gutting out the old barn so that they could re-purpose it for the chickens that would be added. Jess noticed Daryl was beat all to hell and had given him a firm lecture about not following in his father's footsteps. "I would have expected Merle in a drunken brawl, but certainly not you boy. Don't forget you are courting a real lady, and she deserves better than to have her man stirring up trouble in a local bar."

Merle and Daryl had both decided it was better not to tell Jess about their father being a suspected murderer. If Jess found out, he would confront Will without question and Merle and Daryl both wanted evidence before they came forward with the information. It seemed pretty fucked up that both boys wanted nothing more than to have their father either locked up for the rest of his years, or being sentenced to a painful death by execution in the electric chair. Will offered his son's nothing but misery and pain and to say that they boys actually hated their father would be an understatement. His latest escapades with the Klan just put the icing on the cake.

"How's Clarissa doing? She seemed like she took the Reverend's death pretty hard the other day." Daryl asked Jess as they were working.

"We let her stay home from school yesterday, but she went this morning. I guess we'll see how good her day goes. She's a strong girl, and it takes a lot to rattle her. I will say this, most men wouldn't be too happy to have boys sniffing around their daughter the way that Carl Grimes does, but He's a good kid and I'm rooting for them. Rick and his late wife did a good job with raising him up right. Gotta admit I like Michonne too…she's been through hell and she still holds her head high. I hope that little boy of hers gets an opportunity to get a fair chance in this world." Jess told them, and both Dixon men nodded in agreement.

"Well that Grimes boy ought to consider himself lucky because Clarissa is one of the most beautiful young ladies in these parts. You and Hannah did real good with her, and she's got a voice like an angel…a true sweetheart too." Merle told Jess.

"Don't worry Merle, you'll be raising one of your own real soon. I never thought I'd see the day that you would settle down, but you turned out to be a good man. Maybe Daryl will be settling down soon with the Doc. Any chance of that happening Daryl?" Jess asked.

Daryl looked down at the ground and coughed a little. This was a conversation that the Dixon men had never really had together. "Alyssa told me she loved me and she wants to marry me, but I gotta work out a few things before I propose proper like." Daryl confessed.

"What the fuck boy? That damn girl is the best thing that has ever happened to you. Are you dumb? She loves you and I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say you love her as well. Don't know why you ain't downtown at Glenn's buying a ring right now." Merle chastised while Jess laughed quietly to himself at Merle lecturing Daryl.

"It ain't that simple. You know I'm fucked up in the head. I got some things I need to tell her so she knows what she's getting herself into. I've told her some, but not all of it, and I ain't built up the courage yet to tell her the rest." Daryl admitted.

"Shit Daryl, you ain't got a dirty past. What the hell could you tell her that would send her running scared?" Merle asked, still surprised at Daryl's confession.

Daryl looked at Merle for a second, and then Merle finally realized what it was. Daryl wanted Alyssa to know about the one thing that still haunted Daryl all these years later…the war.

"Don't stress too much about it baby brother, Alyssa ain't gonna run when you tell her what happened. You didn't do nothing wrong and I wish you would quit blaming yourself. If anyone is to blame it was me…I should have known that taking a seventeen year old kid off to the battlefield in France was a bad idea. It was me that talked you into it and it was me that made the mistake." Merle told Daryl as he reached out and gave his younger brother a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder.

"Nah Merle, it was on me. When I tell her the truth of what I did and if she doesn't get disgusted by me, then I'll ask her to marry me and offer her any type of wedding she wants. I know I don't deserve her, but I ain't questioning it." Daryl said as a slight smile crossed his face.

"Y'all both deserve each other. Now lets all stop the squawking and get working on this barn." Jess told both boys trying to sound serious, but his smile betrayed how proud he was of his nephews. Both boys were survivors and somehow managed to become truly good men despite who their father was.

…

By dinner time Daryl was aching something fierce so he opted to take a soak in the tub before he headed over to Alyssa's. He laughed at the idea of himself 'soaking' in the tub…or actually bathing every single day. Before Alyssa he would be the first to admit that his hygiene sometimes was lacking at best, but after meeting her he knew that she deserved better than a filthy redneck. So if it meant bathing on a regular basis, he was more than willing to do so.

He re-wrapped his swollen knee and then headed to Alyssa's house. The wind was blowing strongly and Daryl suspected they would be getting a cold front over night. When he entered the house Alyssa was sitting on the couch and he had to admit, she looked exhausted. Her normally perfect hair was pulled to the side in a messy braid and she was barefoot dressed in a simple floral house dress. Her eyes were dark underneath and her usual smile was absent.

He sat down beside her and pulled her into a hug and gave her a soft kiss. "You look beat."

"Well you look like hell too." She snapped back.

Woah…where did that come from. "What's wrong Alyssa?"

"I'm exhausted…and I diagnosed a case of the measles in a four year old today at Doc Bob's. If that catches fire and spreads it won't be good. The conditions down there are so bad Daryl. There are unsanitary houses, no running water in most places, and a lack of knowledge on how important hygiene is. I tried to put the word out, but a lot of folks aren't willing to listen to a white woman…I've seen a big mistrust grow over the past few weeks and hardly anyone from the east side comes to town anymore. Bob's doing the best he can, but I think he is drinking again. I don't know what to do." She told him.

"There ain't nothing you can do if they aren't willing to accept help Alyssa. You can't force it on them." Daryl said trying to reassure her.

"You don't get it Daryl. If this case of measles spreads it won't take long before it spreads throughout the whole town. Other than Bob, I'm the only doctor around and I won't be able to handle all the cases on my own. I feel helpless." She confessed as she began to cry.

"Woah Alyssa…calm down darling." Daryl said as he awkwardly wrapped her in a hug to comfort her. This was definitely not in his skill set, but he didn't really know what to do.

"How can I be calm Daryl? This town is falling apart." She said through sobs.

"You can't fix everything Alyssa. I do have something I want you to do though. Merle and I were talking, and we think its best that you pack up some things and come stay at the farm with Merle and Beth until all this tension dies down." Daryl told her.

Alyssa stopped crying and looked at Daryl. "What? No, I'm needed here. If there is an emergency I need to be able to get to my patients. Being out on the farm is out of the question."

"Alright then, I'll get my things and stay here…Merle wanted me to stay with Beth tonight while he delivered supplies to Noah and his family, but she can stay back at the farm with Hershel and Maggie. I don't want you here by yourself." Daryl said.

"No Daryl…you have enough problems of your own to deal with." Alyssa said, realizing immediately the words did not come out as she intended.

Daryl pulled away from Alyssa almost violently. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"It doesn't…" Alyssa started to speak but was immediately cut off by Daryl.

"I poured out my heart to you Alyssa and all you see is that I have problems? I've been dealing with those fucking problems all my damn life and I don't need you to point them out to me. I knew I should have never told you…you think the same thing everyone else does…I'm just a crazy son of a bitch walking around like a bomb with a hair pin trigger. I expected more from you…but I guess I was wrong." Daryl shouted as he stood up and stormed out the door, not even giving Alyssa a chance to speak.

Alyssa sat there in shock as she heard the gravel spin as Daryl pulled out of her yard aggressively. What had she done? She wasn't even thinking about Daryl's emotional problems, she was thinking about how uncomfortable he would have been on the couch again, especially with his sore ribs and knee. She was even angrier with herself for not even asking how he was doing. She was so caught up in her own self pity she didn't even think about the fact that he might still be in pain. Not knowing what to do, she just fell back into the cushions on the couch and continued to sob.

…

Daryl was seeing red…he was furious. How could the one person he cared most about in this world betray him like this? How dare she insinuate he had problems…She saw him no different than anyone else in this God Forsaken town saw him. Just a fucking ticking time bomb. His first instinct was to go back to that bar and get drunk again, but he promised her he wouldn't…plus he was pretty sure he might not be welcomed back after the events of the previous day.

He drove around for a couple of hours, passing by the Grime's house hoping that Rick might be home. Maybe he could offer Daryl some words of advice…if Daryl even wanted them. Daryl then decided the best option was to head home and talk to Beth. She usually had pretty good insight on these types of things, and she knew Alyssa well. Maybe things weren't as bad as he perceived them to be.

…

Merle had left Beth and Daryl, and Daryl told Beth what had transpired. Beth gave him a look…a look that said "Daryl, you've fucked up."

"Daryl I am sitting here trying to figure out how you could fly off the handle after her statement? You didn't even give her a chance to explain herself. You at least owe her that. Alyssa would never judge you for anything that happened in your past. Look, I don't know what you told her…and it isn't my business, but just short of you saying you eat small children while no one is looking, I would say nothing would scare her away. Daryl she loves you deeply…and you are the first person she has ever felt that way about. You need to go over there right now and talk to her. I'll be fine here for a little while…now go." Beth directed him.

"Thanks Beth." Daryl said as he walked towards the door. He had just stepped out on the porch when Beth heard him yelling her name. She ran outside in her bare feet and her mouth fell open. The could see a bright orange glow coming from the East Side of town. A glow so bright it almost looked like daylight at ten o'clock at night.

"Beth get your shit and head to Hannah's. Tell them what is going on and let Jess know I'm heading to town to see if I can help. I'm gonna check on Alyssa first and make sure she is OK." Daryl screamed in a slight panic.

…

Alyssa had cried herself to sleep on the couch. It still held Daryl's scent from the night before, and that broke her heart even more. Her last thoughts were of her hoping he would come back by after he cooled off and let her explain her poorly worded comment to him. If he wanted her to go to Beth and Merle's to stay, she would do so willingly. He was just looking out for her safety, and if she had to admit it, she was a bit nervous being in this big house by herself while tensions ran so high throughout the community.

Alyssa was startled out her sleep by the sound of breaking glass. She opened her eyes and began to cough uncontrollably as she realized her living room was full of smoke and flames. The wind was blowing outside and as it blew through the broken windows it caused the flames to spread rapidly, fully engulfing everything in it's midst. Alyssa dropped to the floor and began to crawl towards the doorway. Being low to the floor meant she could at least breathe easier as the smoke was rising upwards.

After what seemed like eternity she had made it to the front door, and she stood up and managed to successfully open the door, though the door knob was scalding hot. She should have picked up on that as she opened the door and stepped out on the porch. The first thing she noticed was a burning cross laying flatly on her front yard…the wind must have blown it over and it's embers must have been what started the fire. The second thing she noticed was Daryl frantically running across her front yard yelling for her. She raised her hand to wave at him but was distracted by the sound of a large cracking noise followed up by a huge weight falling on top of her and the searing pain of her own burning flesh. The last thing she heard that she recognized was Daryl's panicked cries.

"Alyssa…My God Alyssa No…."

I want to apologize for how long it took me to update this story. Work has been kicking my ass, and then after the S7 premier I've been in a little TWD shock. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I hope you continue to read. I've gotten very little response on this story and I'm thinking of shelving it. It seems folks would rather a story with Walkers or Bethyl. I do have an idea for a Bethyl story…but it's further down the road.

 **Please let me know if you are reading and if you still like this story. A special shout out to Miss October 13 for being so loyal in leaving reviews.**

 **It's Sunday and almost time for TWD to start- So have a great night and enjoy.**

 **Missy**

 **XXOO**


	12. Chapter 12

*****WARNING- STRONG RACIAL SLURS*****

Merle was going to kill her…but if the town was on fire then people would need medical care…and Damnit, she was a nurse who could help. Beth quickly pulled on her clothes and grabbed the keys to her old truck to head to Alyssa's. People would know to go to her office if they needed treatment for injuries sustained in the fire.

As Beth neared Alyssa's house her heart stopped as she saw the flames glowing orange through the trees. She realized then that Alyssa's home was burning, much like the entire East Side of Holly Springs. If ever there were a truer picture of what hell looked like, it had to be on this night. Beth slid the truck to a stop and saw Daryl standing in the flames on the fully engulfed porch holding something…no, it was someone.

"Daryl?" Beth screamed when she realized it was Alyssa that Daryl was carrying.

"Help me Beth…she's hurt real bad." He pleaded as tears ran down his tormented face.

Beth ran to her truck and pulled out her medical kit and a quilt that she kept for emergencies.

"Lay her down right here." Beth said. She needed to get Alyssa's badly burned dress off of her and realized now was not the time to worry about modesty.

"Daryl, we need to get her dress off so I can see what her injuries are." Beth said in as calm of a voice as she could muster.

They both gently but quickly pulled off the tattered dress and Beth could see that Alyssa's entire right side was burned to the point of blistering. She also noted there were bruises forming on her face as well as a large cut that was bleeding on the right side of her head.

"Daryl, we got to get her to a hospital…this is bad." Beth said in a serious tone.

"Canton, we can be there in twenty minutes." Daryl said.

"Let's lay her in the back of the truck, you stay with her and keep her stable and I'll drive." Beth told him.

Beth laid the quilt down in the back of the truck and Daryl laid Alyssa down on her good side. Alyssa had yet to make a sound and that terrified Daryl. He couldn't lose her…not after knowing the last words they had spoken to each other had been in anger…at least on his part.

Beth drove like a bat out of hell and Daryl kept Alyssa's body cradled closely, trying hard not to jostle her injuries. He could see how badly her flesh was burned, and he hated worse than anything that he couldn't wrap her in the quilt to give her a sense of modesty, but Beth had told him they didn't need anything to touch her burns.

It only took Beth ten minutes to drive the six miles to Canton to the Cherokee County Hospital. Beth jumped out of the truck and dropped the tailgate while Daryl carefully carried Alyssa into the hospital. Beth ran off and returned with a doctor that she had met while still in nursing school. He was pushing a gurney and had a look of concern on his face immediately when he saw Alyssa laying limply in Daryl's arms. Daryl laid Alyssa down on the gurney as Dr. Mahmet went to search for her pulse. Two nurses and another doctor were running down the hall towards them and before Daryl could ask anything, they were rushing Alyssa away.

Daryl dropped to his knees and Beth dropped down beside him. That was when she noticed that his hands were covered in blisters as well. He must have burned himself getting Alyssa to safety.

"Daryl, Dr. Mahmet is one of the best doctors in the State of Georgia and he will do everything possible to take care of her." Beth told him in a calm voice, trying to give Daryl some sense of comfort. Beth knew that burns were painful, but survivable as long as infection didn't set in. What she didn't know was how severe Alyssa's head wound was.

"I can't lose her Beth." Daryl said in almost a whisper.

"You won't Daryl. She's in good hands, but she is going to need you. I'm not going to lie to you, she has serious burns and it's going to take time to heal. She won't be working for a while and she has nothing left…her home, her belongings, and her memories are lost to that fire. She doesn't have any family to rely on so it's up to us. We all consider her family anyhow and well…to be honest, Me and Merle got a bet going on when you will ask her to marry you. With that being said, all of us will stand strong for her, but you are the most important person. Do you understand Daryl?" Beth asked as she noticed Daryl looked like he was distracted.

"uh huh." Daryl said softly.

"We need to go and get your hands looked at Daryl. They are burned pretty badly." She told him.

Daryl looked at her in disbelief and then looked at his hands and realized he had small blisters forming on his palms and knuckles. "Oh…I didn't notice." He said in a strange voice.

"Don't check out on me Daryl. I've known you for a long time and I know you can draw yourself inward. You have been a different man since you met Alyssa and I'm not going to let you revert back to your old ways. Do you hear me?" Beth scolded.

Daryl nodded and Beth led him down the hallway to a waiting area and then asked for a nurse.

…

Over the next few hours more and more people from Holly Springs were brought into the hospital. Many were burn victims from the East Holly Springs area and more than a few doctors and nurses looked less than enthusiastic to treat them. The hospital had different wards, and that included a ward for people of color. Like everything else in the area, the hospital was segregated. Daryl thought it was ridiculous that even a hospital that was meant to save lives saw the worth of those with darker skin to be less than those with white skin. In his opinion they were all the same, they all bled red.

Around three in the morning Rick arrived at the hospital to see if he could interview any of the victims of the fire. He was surprised to see Daryl and Beth in the waiting room. They both looked exhausted, and Daryl had a vacant look in his eyes. Beth noticed Rick immediately and waved him over to her.

"What happened Rick?" She asked.

"It's a mess. Wait, please tell me Alyssa is here. We found her home engulfed in flames, but we didn't find her. We assumed…" Rick said with a hopeful look on her face.

"She's here, they've been working on her for the past few hours. She made it out of the house just as Daryl arrived, but the porch collapsed onto her. She was burned badly on her right side and knocked unconscious. Daryl pulled her out just in time, but we don't know her condition yet." She told Rick. They both looked over at Daryl, who just stared at the floor, not even registering their conversation.

"We've lost a lot Beth. Dr. Bob was shot in the head, and Gabriel's church was burned to the ground. That was where the fire started and it spread. You've been down there…you've seen the condition of the buildings and houses, this was a disaster waiting to happen. Rosita, Shane, and Michonne are down there helping along with Jess Dixon. Hannah and Clarissa have Carl, Andre, and Judith with them until I can get this all sorted out. Gorman was on duty tonight, and said he didn't see anything out of the ordinary. I do find it strange that this happened just a few days after Mike was murdered and Pastor Samuels and his family had their accident. There are definitely a lot of questions I'm going to be asking the man once this all settles." Rick said in a frustrated voice.

Daryl surprised them both when he spoke with anger in his voice "The Klan did it…probably my daddy. They were looking for Noah…I heard Mitch Dolgen mention something yesterday about something big going on tonight…they wanted to leave a message."

"We'll find him and if he is involved, Justice will be served Daryl." Rick told the solemn man.

"You better find him before me. If I find him first…he's a dead man." Daryl said leaving no questions about his seriousness in the matter. His Alyssa was injured, possibly fighting for her life because of the prick, and Daryl could not let it go.

"Daryl, you have to leave it to us. Alyssa is going to need you…she's lost everything and if you are locked up you can't be there for her. I'm calling in the state police tomorrow to get help with this situation. This is bigger than us." Rick admitted to both Daryl and Beth.

"I wanna help…I'll do whatever ya need once I know Alyssa is gonna be OK." Daryl said to Rick, looking him in the eyes for once.

"Good, I'm gonna need all the help I can get. There might be an opening on the force here shortly." Rick replied.

"Rick, when you go back to town can you stop by and let Merle know we are here. I'm not sure if he is back yet…he had a few things to take care of last night." Beth told him.

"Yeah, I figured…I'll find him and let him know. Keep me posted on Alyssa's condition…other than Rosita there isn't anyone medically trained in town. Blake refused to help anyone. Said he didn't want to get his hands dirty and he wanted to 'protect' his wife and daughter. He didn't seem one bit surprised when I told him what happened. The Baptist Seminary sent a temporary replacement for Pastor Samuels yesterday and he is doing his best to get to know people as well as helping out those that are homeless. There aren't a lot of folks willing to take people in so Michonne is trying to work on getting people settled with others down in the part of town that wasn't burned. They are in desperate need of food and supplies…and donations most likely won't be very forthcoming." Rick said, knowing there were very few white residents that would be willing to help out…especially now that they felt they were in danger. Alyssa's home wasn't the only one targeted with a burning cross…three others were as well. The Horvath's had been effected, as well as the Rhee's store, and the Morales's restaurant.

"Let us know what we can do to help." Beth said.

"I will. I've got to head back to town and see what daylight will bring. Daryl, I'm praying for Alyssa." Rick told them.

Daryl gave Rick a nod of thanks and then leaned his head back against the wall, still waiting to hear anything from the doc.

"Hang in there Daryl, I know you are worried…but these things take time. Burn's can be difficult to treat and it can take a lot of time to do a complete debridement of her wounds." Beth informed him.

"What the hell is that?" Daryl asked.

"They go in and remove any dead skin or material that is in the wound so that it will heal better and hopefully avoid infection. Infection is her biggest risk right now." Beth explained.

"She did something similar to my hand the first time I met her. It hurt like a bitch but it did heal up. Knew she was a good doc after that." Daryl said silently remembering the first time he met Alyssa. He had been surly towards her, but she never once seemed bothered by it. She had always treated him like he was someone who mattered when no one else in this world did. This is why he loved her, and why there was no way he could bear to lose her.

As dawn began to break the silence was finally broken. "Beth?" Daryl heard from across the room as Dr. Mahmet came into the waiting area.

"How is she?" Daryl quickly spouted.

"She's stable, but she still has not regained consciousness." Dr. Mahmet replied. Daryl felt like he had just been kicked in the gut.

Beth reached up and placed her tiny hand on Daryl's shoulder trying to keep him calm. "How bad are her injuries?" She asked.

"All things considered I would say Dr. Cambridge is very lucky you arrived when you did Mr. Dixon. She has a large second degree burn across her right rib cage and hip, but if we keep it treated and avoid infection it should heal. It is going to leave some pretty extensive scarring, but that is to be expected. It took us a long time to debride the wound, parts of her dress and garments had adhered to her body. We cleared the fibers and the necrotic flesh and we have applied a salve to aid in healing. She has a fractured clavicle that will heal on it's own, but she will need to take it easy for a few weeks. I have found keeping the arm in a sling will help. Right now my biggest concern is her concussion. She is going to be in a good amount of pain when she awakens and at that time we will administer some pain medication, but not until then. I don't want anything to hinder her waking up. The good news is she has no lung damage and that the burns weren't worse. You saved her life Mr. Dixon, she could have burned to death if you hadn't pulled those timbers off of her." Dr. Mahmet had told him and Beth.

"Can we see her?" Beth asked, knowing it was what Daryl wanted to know as well.

"Yes, since she was previously a doctor here on staff and still has admitting privileges we have her in a private room instead of an open ward. I'll make sure you both have special visiting access as well. I know that Alyssa no longer has any surviving family and I also know she has lost everything as a result of the fire. I'm going to trust you both will help her get back on her feet." Dr. Mahmet asked.

Daryl nodded and gave a grunt. Beth responded verbally "Of course…she's going to be my sister in law and we look out for family."

Dr. Mahmet led them to Alyssa's room and then quietly excused himself. Daryl went to enter and then stopped, taking a deep breath. Beth could tell he was nervous and took his hand into hers. "Come on Daryl, there isn't anything to be scared of. We can do this together."

"I ain't afraid of nothing." Daryl said in a terse tone.

"Yes you are…you are afraid of what you are going to see in there. It's Alyssa Daryl, the woman you love, and when she wakes up, you are going to be the first person she is going to want to see." Beth told him in a soft tone.

Daryl took a deep breath and opened the door and stepped into the room. He almost had to leave immediately when he saw Alyssa's condition. She was pale and bruised. A bandage was wrapped around her head and her arm was pinned to her body to prevent her from moving it. A small grimace on her face let him know that even though she was unconscious she must have been in pain. He could only imagine how much. Daryl couldn't help it when he saw her as he let out an audible moan. It hurt too much to see her in this way. His first response was to back out of the room and run away, but Beth stopped him.

"Go to her Daryl…hold her hand and be there for her. I've got to get in touch with Merle and let him know what is going on. He should be home by now and he is most likely worried to death. I'll be back." She told him as she gave him a little nudge.

Daryl rasped back "You're right Beth, but what do I say to her?"

"You'll figure it out Daryl. Be strong for her, she needs your strength." The younger woman advised. Daryl was amazed how Beth always knew the right thing to say. She was perfect for Merle and he could see why his brother had fell for the much younger woman.

Daryl slowly walked across the room and sat down in the chair that was next to Alyssa's bedside. Carefully he reached out and took her uninjured hand into his. Just feeling the slight warmth of her soft hands in his forced Daryl to let out a soft sob. He was wracked with guilt about what had happened. If he had not had the fight with her and left the way he did he might have been able to get her out of the house safely. Why did he have to be so damn hot headed instead of taking the time to let her explain herself. God help him, if it took the rest of his life he was going to make this up to her.

It seemed like Alyssa noticed his presence immediately. As soon as he had taken her hand he softly moved it to his lips and gave it a gentle kiss. Alyssa's eyes began to flutter open and before Daryl could draw his next breath, Alyssa was fully awake.

"Daryl…" she said as she winced in pain.

"I'll get the doc Alyssa, we've been waiting for you to come too." He said.

"No, please don't leave me." She begged.

"You need pain meds, the doc said you were gonna be hurting." Daryl said in a heavily concerned voice.

"Shhh sweetie, let me apologize first." She said in an almost whisper. Daryl could see the pain on her face as well as the pain in her eyes.

"No baby, it was my fault. I over reacted. I was coming to tell you how sorry I was when I found you. Alyssa I want to beg you to forgive me." He said as tears began to stream down his cheek.

Alyssa tried to reach out to wipe them away, but she was too weak to make contact with him. Daryl didn't seem to care that she saw his outward expression of emotion. Instead he fully broke down sobbing and repeating "I'm sorry" over and over again. He held tightly to her hand and buried his face in the sheets beside her body on her good side. Alyssa managed to move her hand into his soft hair and began to run her fingers through it trying to soothe the emotional man that she loved.

Daryl finally caught his breath and pulled his head up so he could look into her eyes. "Marry me Alyssa. Ain't no need to wait. I'll tell ya anything you want about my past, but none of it will change how I feel about you. We can do it as soon as you get out of here or we can have any kind of wedding you want. I was a damn fool for even thinking about waiting."

Alyssa began to speak softly and slowly, as if each breath hurt "Yes Daryl. As soon as I am able to get out of here we can be married. I don't want a fancy wedding, all I want is to be your wife."

"I love ya Alyssa." Daryl told her with so much emotion it would have brought her to tears herself if it didn't hurt so bad. He could see her pain and it killed him inside.

"I love you too sweetie. Please don't be mad but I think I need those pain meds now." She told him. He could feel her hand trembling and knew she was fighting with everything she had to not let him know how bad she was hurting.

"I'll get the doc." Daryl told her and he stood up immediately and ran down the hall looking for anyone who could help. Luckily he met Dr. Mahmet as he was about to round the corner and he relayed the information to the doctor. Dr. Mahmet immediately grabbed a cart and summoned a nurse to check on Alyssa and asked Daryl to wait in the hall. Daryl did as he was told, but it wasn't easy. He wanted to be with her more than anything offering up any of the strength he could for her, but he knew the doctor knew best and decided it wasn't worth creating a fuss.

…

As it ended up after Alyssa was administered the pain meds and she insisted that Daryl head home and get rest. He reluctantly agreed to her request. She knew she was going to be asleep for a while and could tell he was exhausted. Between the long night before the fire, and then knowing he had been up all night with her, she could see he was completely worn out. She noticed the burns on his hands and knew his ribs and knee had to be killing him, but Daryl was somewhat of an anomaly and seemed to be able to push the pain aside when he needed too. He had undoubtedly saved her life, and now he had committed himself to her for their remaining time on earth together. Her last thoughts were of Daryl as she succumbed to the ample amount of pain medication that she had been given.

…

Beth and Daryl drove back to Holly Springs and were greeted by one angry Merle Dixon. Beth hadn't been able to get a hold of him via telephone and apparently Rick had not been able to find him either. Therefore, when Merle arrived home in the wee hours of the morning he went into full panic mode when Beth was not asleep in their bed. Had he have not been so tired he would have noticed her truck wasn't parked out front either as well as everyone else on the farm was gone. He immediately began to panic, especially because he had noticed that the entire valley was covered in a thick smoke that he had initially thought was fog, until he got a whiff of the air and realized something large had burned.

After arriving and finding everyone gone he headed towards Alyssa's house and found the Holly Springs fire department still putting out hot spots. Daryl and Alyssa's truck were both parked out front and when Merle asked the young fire fighter if anyone was inside he was told that they had not been able to go in and search for human remains. Merle felt his knees go weak with fear and panic. What if Beth had been with them and they had all been asleep when the fire broke out. It was then that he spotted the charred ruins of the burned cross and a rage began to fill his body. Not knowing what to do, Merle headed back towards the house and prayed that Beth, Alyssa, and his brother were not inside the burned out home.

He hadn't been there long when Daryl and Beth pulled up and his first reaction was to run to Beth and pull her into a passionate hug and kiss, and then he began to berate both her and Daryl for scaring the hell out of him.

"Beth, what in the hell were you thinking? You scared the holy fuck out of me." He screamed.

"Whoa Merle, take it easy on her, she didn't do nothing wrong. She saved Alyssa's life and mine too if I'm gonna be honest about it." Daryl shouted back.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Merle barked back.

Beth stamped her foot "Just shut up and listen Merle. Last night was hell for all of us. I wasn't going to sit here and watch our town go up in flames."

"Is anyone going to let me know what happened? I'm getting a bit impatient here. Woman don't you realize you are carrying my baby?" Merle said in a bit less of an angry voice.

Beth managed to get Merle calmed down enough so that she and Daryl could explain what happened and how they had found Alyssa. They told him about the fire in the Eastern district of town, Rick's concerns about Gorman, and the loss of Dr. Bob and others. By the time they were done all of them were sitting in shock over the realization of what had happened.

"Look Doc is gonna need all of us when she gets out of the hospital. She can stay with Beth and me until we can find her something permanent. She's family." Merle stated emphatically.

Daryl stammered a little bit and then finally spoke "I asked her to marry me this morning…and she said yes. As soon as she's out of the hospital we are gonna go down to the court house and get hitched. She don't want any big affair on account of not having any family, so we decided to just get it done with."

Beth and Merle looked at each other in shock. Beth was about to say something when Merle cut her off. "If you ain't gonna give her a wedding, then you need to take her on a honeymoon she will never forget."

"She ain't gonna be up to anything too strenuous for a while Merle. She's gotta heal up and then we will plan something. All I know is I want her to know how much I love her and that I want to spend the rest of my life with her." Daryl explained to both Beth and Merle. He knew it may be a while before they could consummate the marriage, but that didn't mean he couldn't hold her in his arms at night, and feel the comfort of her body against his. He would wait a thousand years if he had too. All that mattered was that they were together.

"Well then you better buy her a damn nice ring. Hell she deserves a crown for agreeing to marrying a grump like you." Merle joked.

"Um…" Daryl said, he hadn't thought about picking out a ring for her. They would need wedding bands and he didn't have a clue on where to start.

"I'll help you with that Daryl." Beth said, and Daryl could feel the weight of the world being lifted off his shoulders.

"Thanks Beth, I ain't real sure what I would have done without out you over the past night." He told her, meaning every word of it.

"We're family Daryl, I was just there to support my brother in law. We will need to pick up some personal items for Alyssa, she doesn't have anything left. I'll make a list and we can pick them up before we go back to Canton." Beth assured him.

"And don't be cheap baby brother. I know you got an ass load of money tucked away. You buy that woman anything she needs." Merle taunted and Daryl replied to his brother by giving him the finger. Beth just let out an exasperated sigh.

"Let's all get some sleep. Daryl you can stay in the guest room and break it in. Alyssa will be asleep the most part of the day and once we get some rest we can go get her some things she will need." Beth told them.

Daryl nodded and stood up, headed towards the guest room to get some sleep. He was so tired he didn't even bother to pull back the covers. He just face planted and fell into a fitful sleep.

…

It was sometime around noon when banging on Merle and Beth's door woke them all up. Merle stumbled to the door in his boxer shorts and opened it up, squinting when the sunlight hit his eyes. It was Clarissa and Carl.

"Daddy said he needs you and Daryl up at the house right now. Your father is there and is raising a fuss." Clarissa spit out.

Merle yelled out for Daryl and told him to get dressed in a hurry. Both brothers were out of the house and up at Jess's in a matter of minutes. They arrived and found Will and Jesse in a heated discussion.

"I know God Damn well you had something to do with what happened last night. You and your cohorts took out some good people in your little act of cowardice and damn near killed Alyssa." Jess screamed.

"You don't know shit. I got an alibi for last night. I was making sweet love to my woman and she can vouch for me." Will spit back.

"You are calling that red-headed whore your woman now?" Jess spouted back.

"She ain't no whore…not like the others and you will give her the damn respect she deserves. She's different and we are together, so get used to it." Will barked back, pressing his finger into Jess's chest. Jess looked like he could kill the man at any moment and Merle took the chance to get in between the men and break them apart.

"Ain't no need to get violent here. What's going on?" Merle said in a mostly calm voice.

"I just wanted to run some business by y'all." Will said attempting to sound civil.

"What is it? The quicker you say it the quicker you can get the hell out of here." Daryl spouted out in a frustrated voice. He knew his father couldn't be trusted, and knowing he most likely had something to do with Alyssa's condition just angered him beyond anything he had ever felt for the man.

"I'm offering y'all a chance to be rid of me." Will said.

"Talk." Merle replied.

"I'm willing to sell my part of the farm if y'all are willing to give me what I want." Will told them in almost too joyful of a voice.

"How much?" Jess asked, losing his patience with his brother.

"Twenty thousand dollars and two-grand a year for the next five years. You agree to that and I'm gone. It's obvious my ungrateful boys are more than just a little eager to be rid of me." Will taunted.

"Fifteen thousand and not a penny more. We'll pay the two grand for the next five years, but that's it. When you are broke you can't come back." Jess stated. "Can you boys swing that?"

"I can pull it out of savings." Merle said. Daryl knew that of the three of them, Merle would have the toughest struggle coming up with the funds, and with a baby on the way he didn't want this to be a financial burden on his older brother. Daryl had plenty of money in savings. He hadn't hardly spent any of the proceeds from the harvests of the past ten years, and he had lucked out and put them in a bank that had remained solvent during the American Financial collapse. To be honest, if Daryl didn't want too work he could live off that money for the rest of his years. Merle wasn't lying when he said that Daryl had an ass load of money tucked away. He did and if he could use it to rid himself of his father, then he would be willing to do it.

"I tell you what, if you and Jess can come up with twenty five hundred a piece, I will come up with the other ten on my own. One condition though, I want Granddaddy's house." Daryl told them. He wasn't sure if Alyssa would agree to it or not, but he was thinking about the future, and a family. With some hard work they could restore that old house back to the pristine condition it deserved. He'd let Alyssa do whatever she wanted to with the home and it would be theirs.

Jess and Merle looked at each other, and then Merle finally spoke up "Oh yeah, forgot to tell you, baby brother is planning on getting hitched as soon as Alyssa is out of the hospital. I think that old house would be a great place to raise all them babies you plan on having." Merle laughed.

Will looked less than amused to find out that Daryl was going to marry that Nigger-loving doctor. "So you finally found someone dumb enough to marry your pussy ass?"

Jess cut his eyes at Will and Will shut up. Daryl was suddenly filled with the over whelming feeling of self-doubt. Merle sensed it immediately.

"Best shut your mouth Old Man. You do realize that Daryl just plopped ten grand down on the table without blinking an eye. I'd say that makes him a whole lot smarter than your sorry ass. Are you gonna take the deal or not? If you ain't then get the fuck out of here." Merle threatened.

Will's mouth watered at the idea of fifteen grand sitting in his pocket, and a small income for the next five years. He knew he couldn't turn it down, and he knew Jess wouldn't budge on the offer. Paula and him could take the money he had and the funds she had saved and get the hell out of Holly Springs. It was going to be just a matter of time before someone slipped up and let Sheriff Grimes know that Will was behind the fires from the previous night. He didn't give a shit about what had happened in the eastern district, the only good Nigger was a dead Nigger, but he didn't mean to almost kill the doctor. He chalked it up to casualties of war, but now finding out that she was going to be his daughter in law it made him feel the slightest bit guilty. Maybe not remorseful, but a bit guilty. She had been kind enough to treat him when Daryl had beat the hell out of him, and she had made him realize his drinking was killing him. He'd been pretty much sober since that night even though his sorry ass sons hadn't noticed. It was a shame he couldn't sway his boys to his way of thinking, but he reckoned Jess had too much of an influence on them. That was OK, Jess's time would come when he least expected it.

"Fine, noon tomorrow I'll meet you at the Lawyers office and we can sign papers. Jess, since you're so damn good with all the legal shit I'll trust you to get the paper work in order." Will replied.

"Consider it done. Wish I could say I was sorry to see you go, but I don't like to lie." Jess told his brother in a menacing voice. Daryl and Merle looked at each other and just shrugged their shoulders. It looked like they were finally going to be done with Will, and both had to fight the urge to celebrate.

So I want to offer up a heart felt thanks for all the reviews I received last chapter. It's good to know someone is still reading this story. This chapter was intended to be a bit longer, but this seemed like a good stopping place. I want to offer out a special shout out to the following for their kind reviews:

 **JeanF**

 **Lillyloup**

 **Nerissamae**

 **ArcheryLefty**

 **Smilejul**

 **Hmatlock**

 **VictoireAgathon**

 **Avaleigh1**

 **MissOctober13**

 **And my Guest reviewer**

 **Y'all really gave me hope that this was something worth reading. You may be getting some shorter chapters but more frequent updates. Is that OK? Also, let me know if there are any particular story lines you want me to encompass into this story. I'm flexible.**

 **Thanks for your support-**

 **Missy**

 **XXOO**


	13. Chapter 13

**OK, I'm not going to lie…this is just a sweet little Thanksgiving type chapter.**

Daryl's hands were killing him, along with the rest of his body. It seemed that once the adrenaline of all the happenings of the past forty-eight hours had worn off, and realizing that Alyssa would be OK, he finally had become aware of the abuse he had put his body through. Daryl wasn't quite a young man anymore, and his body seemed to protest more and more each morning, but somehow he always managed to push down the little aches and pains. Today his aches and pains were enough that they were actually bothering him. Then he thought about the pain that Alyssa was dealing with and decided he had no room to complain.

Daryl, Merle, and Beth rode into town to take care of getting the money together to pay off Will. Jess headed straight to the lawyer's office to get the paperwork drawn up and when he was done he met up with his nephew's and brought Merle back to the farm.

Merle had told Daryl and Beth that there were no issues in getting the supplies to Noah and his family, and that he hadn't passed anyone they knew on the way up or back from the cabin. Noah and the family would be good for at least a week and Merle had helped Noah get the fishing tackle in order and the old wood stove working so that they could both have heat and cook their food as well. For now they were safe and no one would no any different. By the time Merle had arrived back in Holly Springs the fires had been brought under control and until he had found Beth gone, he had no idea what had happened in his absence.

Daryl and Beth headed into Rhee's store to pick up items for Alyssa. Beth immediately went to her soon to be brother in law and gave him a hug. She asked where Maggie was and Glenn had informed her that she had spent the entire night covering the switchboard and had yet to return. With all that was going on in town the phone lines had been jammed for hours and they needed as much additional help as possible to make sure that all the calls both incoming and out bound were put through.

"Were you here at the store last night when everything went down?" Beth asked.

"No, I was actually out at the farm with Maggie and your parents. A call came in for Maggie to come into work and when we came to town we saw what they had done. If you ask me they are nothing but a bunch of cowards." Glenn said.

Daryl then spoke "Are you worried?"

Glenn shook his head "Not for me, but maybe for Maggie. I heard what happened to Alyssa Daryl, and I'm sorry. I don't want anyone to come after Maggie because she is with me. It did get me thinking though, and I wonder if it is really worth it to stay here in Holly Springs."

Beth felt a tinge of fear entering her heart. "You wouldn't leave would you?"

Glenn sensed Beth's fear of being separated from her sister "No, if I did they would win, and I don't like to lose. With that being said, if I felt like Maggie was in true danger, I'd leave in a heartbeat. The good news is that Maggie is one of the toughest women I know, and I'd hate to see someone cross her."

Beth let out a giggle. "You are so right Glenn Rhee. I'm sure you have had to deal with her wrath before."

"More than once…" he mused. Daryl had witnessed Maggie's ire a time or two over the many years they had been neighbors, and Merle had given him details of what she had put him through as well, so he knew Glenn had to be a lot braver than people gave him credit. An angry Maggie Greene was a force scarier than the worse hurricane you could imagine.

"Speaking of Alyssa we are going to pick up some things for her." Beth told Glenn.

Daryl then added "I also want to set up an account for her here for when she gets out of the hospital. Anything she wants just bill me for it, I'll make sure you get paid."

Glenn looked at Daryl in disbelief. He didn't know the man that well, and knew he had a tendency to be somewhat of a recluse, but to see him so concerned about Alyssa made Glenn realize that Daryl was in love with the pretty Dr. Cambridge. Beth and Maggie had both told him as much (Maggie couldn't believe that Daryl was able to speak more words other than a grunt or a nod of the head) but seeing Daryl here in front of him confirmed it.

"No problem Daryl." Glenn said giving Daryl a goofy all knowing smile.

"I also want you to order the best sewing machine they make. I know Alyssa likes to make her own clothes and she doesn't really have any more left after the fire. Let me know when it comes in and I'll pick it up." Daryl told the younger Glenn.

"I can do that Daryl, it will probably be here within a week." Glenn replied.

"OK, Daryl, let's get Alyssa what she needs." Beth told him.

Daryl followed Beth around like a lost puppy, turning three shades of red when Beth began picking out under garments for Alyssa. "What do you think?" Beth teased as she held up a matching pair of bra and panties in front of Daryl.

"Cut that out Beth, I don't need to be seeing that shit." Daryl told her.

"Oh listen here Mister-soon-to-be-married man, you are gonna see a whole lot more than underwear before you know it." Beth told him, knowing it would embarrass the normally stoic Daryl.

Daryl just gave her a grunt, though his face flushed again and Beth knew she had accomplished what she had wanted too.

By the time they were done they had a good size box packed up with four dresses, under garments, various toiletries, and two night gowns. Daryl had insisted on buying her a black silk kimono style robe to replace the red-silk one she had been so fond of. If they had a red one, he would have purchased that for her as well.

…

It was now mid afternoon and Daryl was itching to get back to the hospital. He had called twice to check on Alyssa and both times he had been told that she was still asleep. Beth had been kind enough to pack a suitcase for him to take to her and then Daryl headed back to Canton. The smoke from the previous nights fires still hung in the valley like a summer haze.

As he was passing through downtown Canton he spotted a jewelry store and Merle's words about him buying Alyssa a nice ring were playing through in his mind. Beth had told her what ring size she thought she would wear, and she had also volunteered to help him pick it out, but Daryl decided this was something he needed to do on his own.

He went inside and the older man that was working gave Daryl a suspicious look. Immediately it set Daryl on edge and he felt himself fighting the urge to leave. He took a deep breath and regained his composure and approached the clerk. "I'm looking for an engagement ring and wedding bands."

The man still looked at Daryl, not sure if Daryl was serious or was planning on robbing him. He let out a sigh and then led Daryl over to a case of rings that even Daryl could tell were cheap. "I'm sure you will find something in your price range over here." The man replied in a condescending tone.

Daryl could feel his anger rising "Ain't you got anything better?"

"Probably nothing you can afford." The man shot back.

"Show me your best and stop looking down your God Damn nose at me. I ain't worried about the price, I've got money and I can spend it here or somewhere else." Daryl said in a pissed off tone.

The man suddenly went pale under Daryl's menacing look and finally nodded and led him over to the rings in the premier jewelry case. "These are our most exquisite rings. What particularly are you looking for?"

Daryl thought about what Beth had told him were the top brands. "Tiffany…do you have any of her?"

The man tried hard to fight back a chuckle and Daryl looked at him hard once again. The clerk cleared his throat to cut the tension and then reached under the case and pulled out a tray of the fanciest rings Daryl had ever seen in his life. "Mister…?"

"Dixon." Daryl replied.

"Yes Mr. Dixon, these are the rings we have from Tiffany and Company. Do you see any that you like?"

Daryl began to look at the various rings, perusing through sapphires, diamonds, and emeralds. There was one that stood out in his mind and he asked to see it. "Aw…this one is quite special. It's very intricate" the man informed Daryl.

The ring was set in the brightest gold Daryl had ever seen, and it was a detailed flower with diamonds and rubies set to appear as petals. The center of the ring was a bright white flawless diamond that looked almost like fire under the light. It was perfect. "How much is this one and what size is it?" Daryl asked.

"This one is one thousand dollars and it is a size five." The man told him knowing Daryl would most likely ask to see another ring.

"Will you come down to eight hundred? I know y'all mark this shit up like crazy." Daryl asked. Merle had told him that jewelers were willing to negotiate prices, so Daryl thought he would give it a shot.

"Let me make a call and I'll let you know." The gentlemen told him.

"I'll purchase two gold bands as well if we can agree on a price. If not I'm gonna go look somewhere else." Daryl said, hoping to bluff the man. He had no intention of leaving without that ring, especially since it was the correct size, but if he could save two hundred dollars, then he was at least going to try.

A few minutes later the man appeared and asked Daryl what wedding bands he wanted. Daryl picked them out and then the man wrapped them up in the Tiffany boxes. Daryl handed the man nine hundred dollars cash for the three rings and headed out of the store. He spotted a florist and stopped in and picked out a bouquet of mixed flowers to take to Alyssa. He hoped it would brighten her mood a little.

Daryl checked in with older lady who was in charge of visitation and she gave him a card with Alyssa's name and room number. She reminded him that he had been given special privileges and could come and go as he liked. "That Dr. Cambridge is a lovely girl. I enjoyed her so much when she worked on staff here. I was surprised when she left to go work in that little poverty stricken town of Holly Springs. Other than the Blake's I don't think there is anyone there with good moral character." Daryl didn't know if it was intentional or not, but he couldn't help but feel that this woman was passing judgement on him just as the clerk at the Jewelry store did.

"Blake is a selfish asshole who refused to help the injured in his town when there was no one else left to help. If you say that is good moral character, then yours and my definition ain't the same." Daryl said in a smart ass tone. He swore the old woman gasped at his comment, but she didn't reply. Daryl just squared his shoulders and headed to see the one person he wanted to see all day, Alyssa.

He entered her room and thought she was asleep at first, but as soon as she heard the door open she opened her eyes. "Daryl, I'm glad you are here." She rasped out.

She still looked pale, but not as bad as she had earlier in the day. He quickly rushed to her side, placing the flowers down on the bedside table. "I thought you might want a little something to brighten up this place." Daryl mumbled.

"You didn't have to do that Daryl." She told him. He could tell she was still groggy by the slur in her speech.

"How ya feeling darling?" He asked as he placed her hand in his and gave it a squeeze.

She looked at him and tears burst forth from her eyes.

"Baby, what's wrong?" Daryl said in a panicked voice. He held her hand tightly and began to wipe away her tears as they streamed down her cheeks. This was killing him to see her like this.

"God Daryl I hurt so bad…I'm so sorry, I don't mean to heap this on you its just that I'm so scared." She whimpered.

"Shhh baby…don't be scared. I'm here with ya and I will make sure we do everything we can to get you better. Do you want me to get the doctor to get you some more pain medication?" He asked her trying hard to hold down the panic in his own voice. This was not how Alyssa normally behaved, and for her to be so distraught like this he knew she had to be in agonizing pain.

"Maybe in a little bit. I just want to be lucid for a while and spend some time with you." She told him as she tried to get her breathing in check. Daryl stayed right by her side and began to brush her hair with his fingers in an attempt to soothe her.

Once Daryl had her calmed down he thought it was time to present her with the ring he had purchased. "So baby, do you remember what we talked about this morning…about getting married?

She nodded her head, this time a small smile broke through her soft tears. "I do Daryl…do you still want to?"

"Course I do. I just wanted to make it official is all." He said as he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a strange colored blue box. He looked at it and then looked at her. "Do you wanna open it or do you want me to do it for ya?"

She gasped, recognizing the blue "Daryl, is that something from Tiffany's?"

"You didn't answer my question?" He told her.

"Would you open it for me?" She asked in almost a begging tone.

Daryl smiled at her and slowly opened the box showing her the magnificent and exquisite gold, ruby, and diamond ring inside. Alyssa might have been in pain, but the shock and surprise on her face was evident.

"Daryl…that…is…Oh my that is the most beautiful ring I have ever seen in my life. Daryl I don't deserve this." She said crying again.

"Hush Alyssa. You deserve this and a whole lots more. You've made me realize what it is finally like to live…to want a future. I love you so damn much that this ring doesn't come close to comparing to what you make me feel. Will ya wear it?" He asked.

She nodded her head, unable to speak. "I'm so sorry for being such a whiny baby. I'm just overwhelmed Daryl. This day started out as the worse day of my life and now it has become one of the best. Daryl when I get out of here I'm going to show you just how much this…you mean to me. I will show you for the rest of my life."

Daryl couldn't help the smile that was on his face. He had finally done something right. Lucky for him the left side of her body was uninjured and he carefully took the ring and placed it on her finger. "What do ya think?"

"It fits perfect and I think I'm never taking it off." She told him through a weak and slurry, but genuinely happy voice.

"Well ya got to at least once. I got us these too." He said as he pulled a second box with simple matching gold bands.

"I can't believe you did all this Daryl. You are just as perfect as my ring." She said.

"I ain't perfect, but I appreciate you thinking that. I got another surprise for ya too. Beth helped me with this one." He said as he opened the small suitcase Beth had packed for her and showed her the contents inside.

"Daryl I've never had anyone do anything like this for me…since I lost my parents I've always been on my own and had only myself to rely on…" she suddenly became quiet "I wish my parents could have met you. My mother would have been so happy and I could see you and Daddy getting along too. They would have loved you."

Daryl let out a little laugh "They'd be the first parents to be happy their daughter was marrying a Dixon."

"Don't sell yourself short Daryl. Both you and Merle are good upstanding men, as well as Jess. I'd be thrilled if I had a daughter to marry a man like either of you." She said, letting her mind drift off to the thoughts of having children. She would be married soon and it certainly could be a possibility. Just look at Beth…she had only been married a few weeks before finding out she was expecting.

Daryl must have been thinking the same thing she was "Do you want to…"

"Do I want to what?" She asked confused.

"You know?" He asked, unable to say it.

"What Daryl?" She asked again, this time wondering what he was thinking.

"Have a family? Children?" He asked.

"Do you?" She asked, now afraid he might not want kids. They had never talked about it before.

"If it's with you I'd want a hundred." He told her, offering her a sense of relief.

"Well we could start with one and then go from there." She said letting out a small laugh. He could tell she was wearing out and he was getting concerned.

"Are you sure you don't want me to go get the doctor and get you some meds? You look like you are hurting pretty bad." He told her.

"I am hurting, but I just want to hear your voice and spend time with you. Please talk to me more." She begged.

"Where do you wanna go on a honeymoon?" He inquired.

"We don't have too Daryl. Just spending time with you as my husband will be enough for me. We can

work on setting up your house properly." She told him. "Wait, you didn't propose to me because I'm homeless did you? I can find another place to live once I'm all healed up."

"Alyssa stop it. I proposed to you because I love you. All of us are gonna help you get back on your feet, whether I married you or not. Beth and Merle were gonna move you into their house. They already see you as family. But I did something today I ain't told you yet." He warned.

"What did you do?" Alyssa asked in a curious tone.

"My father told us he would sell his stake in the farm for fifteen thousand dollars. Jess and Merle both agreed to put up five thousand dollars each along with me, but I came up with something better. I know Merle is a little more strapped for cash than I am on account of the fact he wasn't always the best at saving and he just built that new house and has a baby on the way. I figured if you and I were gonna get married and start a family, we would need somewhere a bit larger to live. So I told them that I would but up ten thousand dollars and they could put up the rest if I could have my grandparent's farmhouse. I know it looks rough right now, but we can fix it up. It used to be a beautiful home and we could make it that way again. I should have talked to you first about it, but I needed to make a decision right away."

Alyssa noticed that when Daryl would get nervous he would talk low and fast, and she could see he was nervous about her reply. "Daryl, that sounds perfect. I know that house holds a lot of memories for you."

"Not all of them good, but I think once we get it all put together the way we want all the good that happened in that house will outweigh all the bad." He confessed.

"I'm excited Daryl. This gives me even more reason to get myself out of this place." She said.

"Good, I want you to be happy. I know that things…well you know…Intimacy…won't be able to happen until you are healed up, but I don't care. I'll wait until you are ready. I just wanna hold you in my arms at night and know you are safe and with me." He said in a soft almost shy tone.

Now it was time for Alyssa to blush. "It won't be a long wait Daryl. I am looking forward to being your wife in all ways." She said shyly as well.

"So you never answered my question. Where do you wanna go on our honeymoon. You name it." He told her.

"You can't laugh…promise. It's always been a little fantasy of mine." She admitted.

"Well are you gonna tell me or do I gotta guess." He said in mock frustration.

"I want to go to New England and stay at an Inn in the Green Mountains. I want to see real snow and snuggle by a fireplace and ride on train. Then I want to go to the Maine coastline and see the cliffs, and the first place that the sun touches America at sunrise. I'd like to go to Boston and see the harbor and experience more history, and then to Gloucester where the fishing villages are. It sounds ridiculous for a Southern Girl to actually want to go up North, but after going to medical school with so many different people from up there, it just made me want to visit." She confessed.

"Fine then, that's what we'll do. Were coming up on the slow time on the farm, and getting the hell out of Holly Springs for a while doesn't sound like a bad idea. I ain't never been up there either, and I bet it is beautiful." I'll start making arrangements as soon as we know when you will be able to travel.

"Maybe we can take a few weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas, I should be healed up pretty good by then. My shoulder will take a while, but I promise I won't try to ski." She teased.

"I ain't skiing either. If the Good Lord intended for man to ski he would have given us really big feet." Daryl told her, getting her to let out a small giggle.

When Daryl had first arrived at the hospital an hour earlier, Alyssa had been a crying mess, and now even though she was injured and scared, she was actually laughing. Daryl felt a sense of relief wash over him.

That night after Dr. Mahmet did his rounds and checked on Alyssa, Daryl requested a pillow and a blanket. The pain meds were kicking in quick for her, but she had told him she was scared, so he decided he would stay the night with her. Even if it was just to hold her hand and offer her comfort at least she would know he was there. Daryl had never been this happy, and Alyssa seemed to be happy as well. They had a whole life ahead of them and they both wanted the same things. He knew the world wasn't a perfect place, and people didn't always get along, but he knew that no matter what life threw in front of them, they would always be together. Daryl had found his true soul mate.

 **I didn't want to write anything dark or depressing today. So I hope you enjoyed the sweetness. It's a bit short, but I promise there will be a lot more action coming. We have a lot of loose ends to tie up…Happy Thanksgiving to each and every one of you …and for those of you outside the State- Have a fantabulous and wonderful Holiday Season….Decorate away my friends.**

 **Hugs to each of you-**

 **Missy**

 **XXOO**


	14. Chapter 14

Two weeks later…

Alyssa was going to be discharged in two days. Daryl had managed to get a clerk of court to come to the hospital so that he and Alyssa could sign for their marriage license and they both managed to get blood tests as well. That meant that as soon as they left the hospital they were going to meet Merle and Beth, as well as Jess and his family at the courthouse and exchange wedding vows.

Even with Alyssa recuperating in the hospital, she still was doing a lot of doctoring…at least where Daryl was concerned. Every morning before Daryl left her she made sure that one of the nurses would come in and re-wrap his ribs and knee as well as treating his burned hands. He assured her that nothing was bothering him that much anymore, but she still insisted. He knew it was just her way of trying to still feel useful while she recovered, so instead of refusing, he just went with it. He would do anything to keep her happy.

They had decided that once she was back up and going that she would sell the land where her charred home still remained and take the funds so she could rent out a space closer to downtown. Daryl had offered to add on to the farmhouse so she could practice at home, but she had told him that it would be more convenient for people to travel to town instead of the extra few miles out to the farm. At least she would be in an area not as isolated as before.

Merle, Jess, and Daryl all took a day to comb through the ruins of Alyssa's home to see if they could find anything at all that was salvageable. By some miracle the second floor didn't burn, but collapsed after the fire had been put out. Daryl was able to locate Alyssa's jewelry box as well as a steel box that contained family photos. He gave the box of photos to Beth and Hannah and asked if there was anything they could do with them. He was going to restore the wooden jewelry box himself and hopefully have it ready and her jewelry cleaned before she was released from the hospital. There were a few other odds and ends here and there that he was able to save, but not much. The good news was that the medical office had been saved and that meant she didn't lose her files or her medical equipment. It would need a thorough cleaning, but she could use it in her new office.

The sewing machine that Daryl had purchased for Alyssa had arrived and Daryl and Beth set it up in the second bedroom. Beth had helped him pick out all the necessary items she would need to sew such as different types of threads and needles. Beth even picked out a few dress patterns and bolts of material that she thought Alyssa might like. Daryl found a beautiful silk covered sewing basket with an embroidered Peacock on the lid that he thought Alyssa would like, so he added that to the list of gifts he had been picking up for Alyssa.

Each day when Daryl would go to visit Alyssa at the hospital he would bring her some sort of small gift. One of the first things he purchased for her was a replacement copy of her favorite book "Gone with the Wind." She was moved to tears at his thoughtfulness and ecstatic that she would have something to keep herself occupied during the days while Daryl still kept up his responsibilities at the farm. He had also purchased her a small handbag, wallet, gloves, a linen handkerchief (he had no idea why she needed one, but Beth said women should always have one in their purse at all times), and even a bottle of perfume. He knew he was spoiling her, but she had been through so much and he still blamed himself, so he thought maybe these gifts would help to make her happy. He had no idea that his mere presence was what made Alyssa happy.

Over the two week period that Alyssa had been hospitalized, she had received several visitors. Other than Daryl, Beth and Rosita had been her most frequent visitors. Both girls had volunteered to do house calls in Holly Springs while Alyssa was healing. Anyone who was deemed serious was then referred to the hospital in Canton for treatment. It was an inconvenience, but with no doctor actively working in town, it was the best they could do. Fortunately there had been very few serious cases. Mostly minor sickness, a few injuries that needed stitches, and Rosita had delivered two babies with Beth's assistance. Alyssa had informed Beth and Rosita about the plan to sell her land and open an office in downtown. Once she was healed up her and Daryl would go and look at what space was available.

Of course, the big discussion outside how Medical Care was being provided in town was Alyssa's engagement and that stunning new ring she wore on her finger. Beth had told Alyssa that the news was all over town about her new Tiffany ring. Apparently the guy who worked at the jewelry store was dating Olivia, and since Olivia was the biggest gossip in town, it didn't take long for the news to spread. Beth had heard that Andrea Blake made the comment that Daryl must have threatened to kill the Jewelry store owner in order to get that ring because there was "no logical explanation of how a dirt farmer like Daryl could afford something so pricey." Beth hadn't let Merle know what she had heard, because knowing Merle he would march right over to the Blake mansion and confront Andrea. There was still quite a bit of tension between the Blake's and Merle. Merle knew what they thought of him and his family, and though he also knew he hadn't done much in his past to convince them otherwise, he didn't want the past coming back to haunt his child.

Hannah, Clarissa, and Beth had convinced Daryl to let them get his home ready for Alyssa's arrival. After all, the next time the couple returned to the farm they would be husband and wife. Daryl kept his house tidy, but it had nothing warm and inviting to it other than the beautiful fireplace and hearth. Beth and Merle insisted Daryl stay with them for the week prior to Alyssa's release and subsequent wedding and then the women made it their mission to spruce the place up. Daryl wasn't exactly sure what they were going to do to his house, but he trusted them.

The first thing that the women did was go through Daryl's cabinets in the kitchens and inventory his cooking supplies. He had the basic set of pot's and pans, but nothing that a reputable southern woman would have in her kitchen. Hannah made a list of what they would need and told the girls that she would purchase what was needed and then give it to Daryl and Alyssa as a wedding gift.

The three women were cleaning Daryl's room when Beth stumbled on something she had never seen before in his closet. It was his old Army uniform. Daryl had it tucked away in the back corner in a protective cover, and when Beth pulled it out she gasped. The uniform was in pristine condition with his medals still attached. Beth had known that Daryl and Merle had returned as war heroes, but she didn't know much other than that.

"Hannah, I've got an idea, why don't we get Daryl to wear his uniform for the wedding ceremony, he will look so handsome in it and Alyssa would be surprised." Beth said excitedly.

Hannah didn't say a word, but then she spoke up "Clarissa honey, can you go back to the house and get the sheets and quilts I have tucked away in the guest bedroom. I think Daryl's are a bit too threadbare and we want Alyssa to sleep in luxury."

Clarissa shrugged her shoulders and agreed to go back to the house. Once she was gone Hannah spoke to Beth. "What has Merle told you about their service in the war?"

"Nothing, other than he got to see a part of the world he never thought he would see. I figured he didn't want to talk much about it because he doesn't like to brag about being a war hero." Beth told her.

"I'm going to tell you something, but I don't want you to tell anyone else you know. No one outside of the family knows about what really happened in France." Hannah told them.

"OK, I promise not to say anything." Beth assured her.

"Daryl was a very smart, but shy young man. He graduated early and Merle talked Daryl into lying about his age so they could join up and fight in the Great War. You know Merle and all his bravado…he sold Daryl on the idea that women would flock to them when they returned. Of course, Merle always had a big influence on Daryl, so he did as his brother told him. Daryl was only sixteen when they went to basic training and had just turned seventeen when they were sent to the battlefield." Hannah said.

"I never really did the math now that I think about it, I just knew it was twenty years ago. Daryl was just a boy." Beth said, shocked at the realization of how young her brother in law had been at that time.

"Yes Daryl was very young…too young. He was also much smaller at the time as well. They were sent into battle and Daryl had basically been put on a suicide mission with three brothers that Merle and he had been close too. They were fighting at the Battle of Cantigny in vicious trench warfare. I'm sure you read about it in your history books at school. It was brutal, and you can imagine being just seventeen, it would be traumatizing to say the very least." Hanna informed Beth, fighting back tears as she thought about the young man in a situation he had no business being a part of.

"Anyhow, as they belly crawled across the battlefield towards enemy lines, one of the three brothers triggered a land mine. The result was that all three of the brothers who were on Daryl's right flank were killed instantly and Daryl was covered in shrapnel as well as the remains of his three closest friends outside of Merle. Merle saw what happened and began to scream and run for Daryl, but something snapped in Daryl at that point, and whether it was guilt or revenge I don't know, but Daryl stood up and began to charge the enemy without thought for his own life. Of course Merle joined him. By some miracle neither of them were killed, and through sheer luck and madness they took out an entire bunker that opened up the battlefield so that our army could pass. They killed over twenty men, and Merle took a gunshot wound to the shoulder, and Daryl took a bayonet to his side, but they survived. They were both taken to a military hospital shortly thereafter, and then returned home. Both of them were treated like the war heroes they actually were. Merle embraced the attention, but Daryl shunned it. He has been emotionally broken since that day up until the time he met Alyssa. I don't know that Daryl ever truly left that battlefield, and he never allowed himself a moment of joy up until recently. I know he still has the nightmares, but they are much better, and I actually see him smiling now." Hannah told her.

"So you think the uniform would just bring up bad memories for him?" Beth asked.

"Exactly. I'm actually surprised he still has it, but he deserves each of those medals, whether he believes it or not. Daryl was never crazy like everyone always whispered, he just hasn't ever truly dealt with what happened that day. I don't know if he has told Alyssa about it, so I wouldn't mention it to her. It's Daryl's story to tell and I probably shouldn't have told you, but I think you need to know." Hannah confessed.

"Like I said Hannah, I won't say anything. It does make sense though as to why Daryl does the things he does and why Alyssa was spending so much time doing research. She must know some of what he was struggling with and was trying to help him. That's why they are so perfect for each other." Beth told Hannah.

"She's the first person outside of family, and you as well, that he has ever opened up too emotionally. He deserves this happiness." Hannah said and Beth agreed.

Clarissa returned and they changed all the sheets and linens, the towels in the bathroom, and even placed a linen tablecloth on the table. Beth had taken some of the photos that Daryl had found as well as Daryl's photos of his mother and framed them and placed them for display throughout the house. Daryl had restored Alyssa's jewelry box and Beth displayed it along with a vase of fresh lavender in their bedroom. A cozy blanket on the couch and a few candles here and there and the house was now perfect. Beth knew that this would be there home only until they were able to restore the old homestead that was once home to Earl and Dora Dixon, but for now this would do. Daryl hadn't even stepped foot into the old farmhouse yet since his father vacated the premises telling everyone he wanted to do it together with Alyssa. Beth was impressed at how much Daryl loved the woman, and how much he wanted her to be a part of everything. Merle had been the same way with her, and considering how Will Dixon had treated his wife, it was very obvious that the boys were their own men.

…

Today would be the last day that Daryl would see Alyssa before their wedding. Daryl reluctantly agreed that they would not see each other the day before the wedding, and that Hannah and Jess would stand in for her parents for the small ceremony at the court house. Beth had brought a catalog to Alyssa and allowed her to pick out a dress, and Beth and Hannah would both do the alterations in Alyssa's hospital room the next day. They would all then go over any final plans for the celebration that they would be having after they returned to Holly Springs. Hannah and Jess were hosting a small celebration that would include Rick, Michonne, and their children, Rosita and Shane, as well as Beth's family including Glenn. Merle, Daryl, and Jess had gone hunting the previous weekend and managed to get a turkey, pheasant, and a deer that Jess was going to smoke slowly over night. Beth, her mother Annette, and Hannah were going to prepare all of the food and Annette would get Hershel and Maggie to help to get everything set up for the Newly Weds arrival.

Since today was the last day Daryl would see Alyssa before the wedding he wanted to take care of a few things in town. The first thing he wanted to do was stop by and see Glenn about getting a warm coat for Alyssa. Since she hardly had any clothes now, he at least wanted to get her something nice so that she wouldn't freeze in the cold air of November. Georgia was funny with the seasons. The summer days could be hot as blazes, but the fall and the spring were always a toss- up. Holly Springs itself didn't get much snow, but just twenty miles north as you climbed into the higher elevations snow wasn't uncommon. Sometimes the roads going North would ice over and stay icy for weeks. With Alyssa still healing up and with her body being in a weakened condition, Daryl didn't want to risk her catching a cold. His only problem was he had no idea what women would consider fashionable and he was hoping Glenn would have a clue.

Glenn had grown used to seeing Daryl in the store now. Maggie had even gone so far as to chastise Glenn for not being as thoughtful as Daryl was with Alyssa. Of course, she was teasing him, but she loved to watch her fiancé squirm when he felt like he was failing her. One thing that she definitely had voiced her frustrations about was the fact that her and Glenn were still not married and still had not set a date for the wedding. Both Beth and Alyssa were either married or getting married to men that they started dating long after Glenn had proposed to Maggie, and she was getting impatient. Was Glenn getting cold feet? His excuse to her was that he wanted to save up enough money to give her the dream wedding she had imagined. Honestly though, she would have been fine with a small wedding in the church with all their family and friends followed up with a party at the farmhouse. Glenn and Maggie had yet to even discuss living arrangements. Maggie suspected something was holding Glenn back, but anytime she approached him about it he gave her the same story about wanting to be financially established.

Daryl walked up to the service counter and looked at Glenn somewhat nervously. "Hey, I need your help with something. I wanna get a coat for Alyssa, something real nice and fashionable, but I ain't got a clue what women want to wear."

Glenn let out a sigh "Gotta admit Daryl, I don't have a clue either." Luckily for both men Maggie was working in the store that day and overheard the conversation.

"Daryl, I'd be glad to help you find something that Alyssa would like." She said giving both Glenn and Daryl a true genuine smile.

"I'd be much obliged to ya Maggie. Normally I get your baby sister to help me with things like this, but she's been busy doing other things to help me get everything ready for Alyssa to come home. I figured with the cold weather she was gonna need a nice coat, and you know how she always likes to look so stylish." Daryl said.

"Hold on one minute Daryl. We got a few new coats in today and I think I saw one that would be perfect." Maggie told him before she disappeared into the store room.

Glenn looked at Daryl with pitiful puppy dog eyes "You do realize you are making my life a living hell?"

Daryl just looked at him in a confused manner "What the hell are you talking about?"

"The way you are taking care of and spoiling Alyssa is making it bad for all of us men. Beth has been hinting to Merle about all the little surprises you give Alyssa each day, and Maggie thinks I'm just down right neglectful of her. You are setting the bar way to high for the rest of us." Glenn joked.

"Well why don't you just go ahead and marry her. I think that's what she wants the most, at least that is what Beth tells me. The only reason I've been doing all this for Alyssa is that she ain't got nothing anymore. She lost it all and I want to make it up to her. If I had been there that night, none of this most likely wouldn't have happened. I owe her." Daryl told Glenn.

"I want to marry Maggie…that's why I gave her the ring. The problem is I found out in the State of Georgia it's not legal for whites to marry non-whites. I haven't told her about that yet and I don't think she knows. I'm Asian, and that doesn't count as white in this state." Glenn confessed.

"Don't you think you need to let her in on that? Georgia's got some fucked up laws, and that might be one of the worse I've heard. I don't want y'all to do it, but you could get married in another state and then come back here to live." Daryl said trying to help out Glenn.

"Nope, they won't recognize our marriage here. That means if I was to pass away, nothing would be passed onto Maggie and technically we could both be imprisoned. I don't want to take her away from her home, but I don't really know how things could work out while we live here." Glenn confessed.

Daryl suddenly felt bad for Glenn. "Don't let this place keep y'all apart. I'm sure Maggie would be heartbroken to leave this place, but I think she would be even more upset if she didn't get to marry the man she loved. Just think about it Glenn, but you gotta tell her. She thinks its something she's done that has kept you from actually going through with the wedding. Maggie is a straight shooter and she will figure out a way to make it work."

"Maggie will know how to make what work?" Maggie asked as she walked back into the sales area.

"Nothing darling…Just shooting the breeze with Daryl." Glenn told her.

Maggie just shook her head and then addressed Daryl "Here Daryl, I think this one would be perfect. Women's coats don't get more fashionable than this one." She held up a three-quarter length, cream colored swing coat. It was made of fine wool and fully lined in a neatly stitched satin. Down the front of the coat and on each sleeve the coat was trimmed with black buttons. Daryl had to admit it was a fine looking coat and Alyssa would look lovely wearing it. Also, since it wasn't fitted, she could drape it over her shoulder that was still in a sling.

"Looks damn good Maggie. Is there anything else I should get with it?" Daryl asked and Glenn gave him a look letting him know he was making the young Korean look bad again.

Daryl just shrugged and looked back at Maggie for guidance. "I think a pair of red gloves and scarf would look stunning with this. You could even pick her out a red hat."

"Throw in the scarf and gloves, but she can pick out her own hat." Daryl told Maggie.

"OK, I'll get this packaged up for you so you can take them to her. Since you two are going to stay apart tomorrow, what are you planning on doing?" Maggie asked as she wrapped up the items.

"Merle and I are gonna spend the day together. I'll handle my duties at the farm in the morning, and then I've got some errands to run in town. After that we were gonna go do a little hunting, but your sister has forbidden me from returning to my own home until I return with Alyssa. You know for her being such a small girl she does seem to wield a lot of power. I ain't never seen Merle as scared of anyone like he is with her." Daryl joked.

"Well I never thought I'd see the day where Merle Dixon was an upstanding citizen, but here we are. Can you believe after all these years Daryl our families will officially be joined when this baby is born. Half Dixon and Half Greene. That is going to be one force to reckon with." Maggie teased him.

"Yep it will be, and Merle is going to spoil that baby like no ones business. God help us all if it is a little girl." Daryl said, actually giving Maggie a genuine smile.

"Daryl I'm really happy for both you and Merle. I wasn't so happy at first when I found out that Beth was seeing Merle. With Merle's reputation and the big age difference I thought he might be taking advantage of her, but it is clear to me now that he loves her more than anything, and she feels the same way about him." Maggie confessed, actually wiping away a single tear.

"I'm real happy for them too Maggie. Merle might come off as this happy go lucky type guy, but he really wasn't. That's why he was out and about doing what he was doing all those years. He didn't want to face the reality of what it was like to grow up with Will Dixon as your father. He's real happy now, and I think everyone can see it. I'm glad we are gonna be one family…y'all always tried to do right by us and never judged us based on Daddy. I know Hershel wasn't real happy about Merle and Beth at first, and I can't say I blamed him, but he's done right by Merle now and that is what is important." Daryl told Maggie.

Maggie gave Daryl a surprised hug and Daryl stood there stiffly, looking at Glenn who just shook his head and laughed. Daryl reached his arm around Maggie and patted her on the back like a puppy, but to Maggie it meant the world to her that he even tried to reciprocate.

…

After running his errands in town and picking up a coat for Alyssa Daryl headed to the hospital to see Alyssa for a final time before their wedding. He would not stay with her tonight as he had been for the past two weeks and he was less than thrilled about that. However, he and Merle had things planned for the next day and it would be good to have a good brother to brother bonding moment.

As Daryl walked towards Alyssa's room, Dr. Mahmet passed him in the hall and stopped. "Mr. Dixon, good to see you. I'm sure you are excited about Alyssa's release. If you have a moment to follow me to my office I wanted to speak with you."

Daryl was surprised that the Doctor wanted to have a conversation with him, but he assumed it had something to do with Alyssa's care. "Alright" was Daryl's reply as he followed the odd doctor down the hall to his office.

Once in the office the doctor instructed Daryl to take a seat and he did, though he had to admit he was a bit uncomfortable. Dr. Mahmet might have been a good doctor, but his personal skills were even worse than Daryl's.

"So I have written down detailed instructions for Dr. Cambridge's care and recovery and I want you to take a look and let me know if you have any questions." Dr. Mahmet said as he handed the list to Daryl. Daryl looked at all the instructions and thought it made sense.

"I don't see any problem with any of this. Appreciate you putting it together." Daryl told the peculiar man.

"Look there is another reason I wanted to speak to you. First of all I want you to understand what a lucky man you are that Alyssa has agreed to marry you. She turned down a position just this week that she had applied for months ago. She had the opportunity to move to Baltimore and work at the Johns Hopkins institute as a surgeon. Did you even know that surgery was her specialty before she opted to become a General Practitioner?" Milton asked with a snide tone to his question.

"Nah, I didn't know either of those things. She never mentioned it." Daryl said as his stomach suddenly felt like lead. He never wanted to be the reason to hold Alyssa back for anything that could advance her career. He knew she was a damn fine doctor, but being offered at a position at such an esteemed Institute just proved how good she really was. He didn't want her to regret her decisions in the future because she settled on a broken man like himself. There was a nagging feeling now in the back of his mind that maybe he was leading Alyssa into the biggest mistake of her life, but he shook it off and continued to listen to what Milton had to say.

Milton then cleared his throat "Mr. Dixon, I realize that you and Dr. Cambridge will be a married couple in just a few days, and I know what goes along with being married regarding 'intimacy'"

Daryl could feel his cheeks blush. Did the man not think Daryl knew about how sex worked? Good Lord he was thirty eight years old. The only thing Daryl could do was sit there and stare at the doctor like he had grown a second head.

"I'm just trying to talk you out of doing anything that will further increase her pain. I know as her husband you are entitled to certain acts of intimacy but you need to be gentle with her. I would advise that you hold off on relations until she is out of pain, but I suppose you won't. So when you consummate the relationship just remember that she is still healing from serious injuries that could have taken her life." The doctor said.

This time Daryl's face was turning red, but not with embarrassment, but with anger "What the hell kind of monster do you think I am? Not that it is any of your damn business, but I would never force her to do anything that would cause her pain. I wouldn't give a Goddamn if we never were able to be intimate. I love her for the woman she is, not some whore who can satisfy my needs. You best get that through your thick skull before I am forced to put it through your head for you." Daryl yelled.

Milton paled upon witnessing Daryl's anger. "Mr. Dixon, can I advise you to please keep your voice down. The last thing we want is for Alyssa to hear your outburst and become upset. I apologize for upsetting you but Dr. Cambridge is very special."

"Yes she is, and she is mine Dr. Mahmet. I will worry about her and I will take care of her. I might be a no good farmer, but I know how to care for someone that I love. You need to go back to doctoring and stay out of our business. I appreciate all you have done to help her get better, but your responsibility towards her ends when she leaves this hospital. Do you hear me?" Daryl said standing up and pointing his finger angrily in Dr. Mahmet's face.

"Loud and clear Mr. Dixon. I'll be on my way now." The doctor said as he nervously got up from his chair and allowed Daryl to exit his office first. He still couldn't understand how someone as smart and beautiful as Alyssa could allow herself to be in the presence of a wild man like Daryl. But he knew that when the inevitable happened and Alyssa realized what a mistake she had made, he would be there to help her pick up the pieces. The fact of the matter was that Milton had been in love with Alyssa for over a year now, but never had the guts to let her know, and now it seemed that she was settling for the first man that came along.

Milton knew he was much better suited for Alyssa than Daryl was, but he would wait this out. He prayed her practice would fail and that she would return back to the hospital to practice medicine…and maybe one day they could both move to Baltimore together and take on a position at Johns Hopkins. He also had been offered a residency, but turned it down when Alyssa had moved to Holly Springs. Many times he had often thought about visiting the young doctor, but instead he would just take the occasional drive by her house and hope to catch a glimpse of her.

Some would say it was creepy, but he would convince himself that he was just looking out for her. At first he might catch her shadow in the windows of the house, and then it seemed in early fall things changed. An unfamiliar truck would stay parked at her home for hours, and then he spotted them. His heart broke a little, when he saw the down trodden country bumpkin kiss her for the first time. That should have been him holding her like that, but Milton was convinced that it wasn't real. Alyssa always had a heart for those less fortunate, and Milton guessed she saw the man as a project…someone she could save. He was convinced this marriage would fail and that Alyssa would find her way back to him. If there was something he could do to speed the failure along, he would pursue it. Maybe today's conversation with Daryl was that first step. It was obvious to Milton that Daryl was self- conscious about how people saw him. That was a good piece of knowledge to possess.

…

Daryl calmed himself down and focused on the fact he was here to see Alyssa, not to entertain the strange doctor or let the man put self- doubt in his head. When Daryl got to Alyssa's room he stepped in and noticed she was struggling to get herself out of bed. He rushed to her side and assisted her so she could get her feet firmly on the floor.

"Whatcha doing getting up on your own?" He asked.

Alyssa blushed "I need to get myself to the rest room and I'm trying to get up without anyone helping me. This arm being in a sling really makes it difficult." She told him.

"Don't you worry about none of that. The last thing we need is for you to lose your balance and fall and hit your head. You are just getting over a concussion. You've got nurses here to help you and I will help you when you get released." He told her in an assuring voice.

"Daryl, I don't need you to coddle me so much. I've got to learn to start getting around on my own. The last thing I want is for you to have to help me relieve myself. It's embarrassing enough as it is, let alone your husband being the person helping out." She admitted.

Husband. He was gonna be her husband, and that sounded so nice coming from her lips until he remembered that his own daddy had been a husband once. Look what he had done to his momma. He had taken a beautiful young woman with hopes and dreams and destroyed her. One word kept replaying itself in Daryl's mind…regret. Was Alyssa going to regret what he had taken from her? Her career, her virtue, her status in life? Was he going to destroy it all for her and cause her a life of misery?

"Daryl, do you hear me?" Alyssa asked when she noticed Daryl was zoning out.

"Yeah. Sorry. I won't coddle ya if you don't want it, but me helping you to the bathroom shouldn't be embarrassing. Everyone has to go at some point and time, and trust me, I've helped drunk Merle out many a time in the past. When he was hammered he didn't care who saw what…now that was embarrassing." Daryl said trying to relieve her tension and play off his own distraction.

"Just stay outside the door and I will handle the rest. If I need you I will let you know, will that work?" Alyssa asked a bit shyly.

"Yep." He said. A few minutes later she appeared from behind the bathroom door but had her sling loosed around her neck.

"This gosh darn thing is such a pain. I only have to wear it one more week and I can't wait to get rid of it. I also can't wait to have a real bath." She told him.

"What you ain't had a bath in two weeks?" He said teasingly raising an eyebrow.

"No, just sponge baths. Come hell or high water I'm washing my hair tomorrow. I hope you aren't expecting a stunning bride." She said in almost a remorseful tone.

"I am expecting a stunning bride, and you can't look anything but stunning. After everything I put you through I can't believe you still want to marry me." He said, some of his insecurities coming to the surface.

"Daryl there isn't anything I want to do more than to be your wife. I love you with all my heart and that will never change." She told him.

He wanted to believe her more than anything, but now he wasn't so sure. "Alyssa, I love you more than anything, I just want to be sure you aren't having any second doubts." He asked.

Alyssa looked at him with a very serious glare "Are you?"

Daryl gulped, and then he lied "Not one bit."

"Good, now come over here and give me a proper kiss." She told him offering up that smile that made him melt and want to believe that everything was going to be OK.

As they spent the evening together he gave her the coat, and apparently Maggie had good taste because Alyssa thought it was perfect. They discussed the how much they would miss each other until they were together again at the courthouse, and then as the hours got later Daryl reluctantly left Alyssa. He felt his stomach flutter knowing the next time they saw each other they would be committing to a lifetime together. Yes, the nagging feeling of self doubt was still there, but seeing how Alyssa looked at him almost washed it away.

…

Beth and Merle were sitting on their couch cuddled up by the fire listening to Merle's favorite radio program. Beth didn't always get Merle's sense of humor, but seeing him laugh and smile was enough for her. She loved this man so much, and it seemed as each day passed her love for him grew even more.

Daryl hadn't returned from his trip to visit Alyssa, and Merle and Beth had enjoyed the time alone with an afternoon and evening of passionate love-making. Beth was just barely beginning to show and of course, she was beside herself with how "fat" she was. Merle was trying his hardest to convince her that not only did she look beautiful, she was actually glowing. The discussion ended up with Beth challenging him to prove it and the next thing they knew they were intertwined with each other's naked bodies. Beth's hormones were increasing her already high sex drive, and Merle, still trying to prove himself to be as good as a young man, did his best to keep up with his young wife.

After there heated bliss they took a nice candle lit bubble bath together and just enjoyed the feel of each other's bodies. Merle loved how content he felt with everything in life. Before Beth all he cared about was bedding a whore or going on some drunken adventure. He would never allow himself to go back to that way of life. Merle Dixon had too much to live for these days, and he wasn't going to do anything to risk that.

Merle let out a small laugh.

"What's so funny Mr. Dixon?" Beth asked curiously.

"Never thought I'd take a bubble bath, let alone a candle lit one with my wife." Merle said.

"Do you regret it Merle? Giving up your way of life?" She asked him.

"Not one bit. The only thing I regret is that I ain't a younger man. Your gonna kill me you know, but I'm gonna do my best to keep up with your 'needs'." He told her as he let his hand slide over her small belly bump.

"Merle Dixon I can't ever get enough of you." She purred.

"Stop it woman or you are gonna get me started back up all over again, and I ain't sure my body can take that. It takes me a lot longer to recover than you." He warned her.

"OK, I'll give you a reprieve. Have you thought yet whether you want a boy or a girl?" She asked.

"Healthy is all that matters. We'll keep trying until we have both. That is of course, if you want too." Merle whispered.

"I'd have a hundred children if you wanted to Merle. As long as you are their father I know they will be loved and cared for. You take such good care of me I can't imagine how you will be with your own child." She said as she leaned her head back into Merle's broad chest.

"You've got a lot of faith in me sweetheart, more so than anyone else other than Daryl ever had. I'll probably have to spend the rest of my life convincing folks around here that I've changed, but it's a challenge I will gladly accept." He admitted.

They stayed together in the tub until the water began to turn cool and finally they extricated themselves and made their way to the couch in the living room. They had eaten a small dinner and were relaxing in front of the fire when Daryl finally made his way home.

"Home a bit late tonight." Merle said as he saw his brother.

"Didn't want to leave Alyssa." Daryl said softly.

"Are you getting excited about the wedding?" Beth asked him.

"Yeah, real excited." He said. The words left his mouth, but Merle noticed that the excitement didn't quite meet his eyes. He knew he and Daryl were going to be spending the day together tomorrow, so he would get his brother to open up.

Daryl went to the refrigerator and grabbed a beer and fixed himself a plate of leftovers and sat down in the living room with Merle and Beth.

"Daryl, Hannah and I got everything fixed up beautifully at your place. Hannah has your suit pressed and you need to go to the barber sometime early on Friday morning before you head to the court house. Can you handle all of that?" Beth asked in a motherly tone.

"Yes Ma'am I will do as I'm told." He said quietly. He ate his dinner and nursed his beer and spent the rest of the evening listening to Beth and Merle chat about their day. Merle deserved this happiness. All the years of him having to take on the responsibility of an adult while still a child was finally reciprocating itself in his life. Seeing how happy he and Beth made each other made Daryl feel good about things. Would he be able to keep Alyssa happy? Beth and Merle had so much in common…What did Daryl and Alyssa have in common? They enjoyed each other's company, but would she always feel that way?

…

The next morning Daryl and Merle woke up early and handled their farm chores. Daryl helped Merle with the Dairy responsibilities and then the two headed out for a quick hunt. Being out in the woods always calmed Daryl's nerves and after getting a decent night of sleep, he felt better about himself and had less doubt about his future with Alyssa.

After they returned Merle suggested they head to town to eat breakfast at the diner and pick up some various odds and ends that they needed around the farm. Beth was already out and about with Hannah and Clarissa and the two would be heading to the hospital for last minute preparations with Alyssa.

The two brothers entered the diner and took a seat in a booth towards the back of the restaurant. The waitress came by to take their drink orders and both brothers ordered coffee. Merle always took his coffee black, while Daryl would add enough cream and sugar to the dark beverage that it would normally take on the appearance of chocolate milk. Merle figured this was just one of those things Daryl never outgrew from childhood, and he couldn't wait to see what his brother's lovely new bride would think about Daryl's guilty pleasure.

Daryl had a lot he wanted to talk to his brother about, but he didn't want Merle chastising him for the questions he was going to ask. So as soon as the waitress came and brought their coffee and took their breakfast order Daryl got straight to the point. "Merle, I gotta some things I want to talk to you about and I don't want you busting my ass about them OK? I need a big brother right now and I'm hoping you can be mature enough to have this conversation with me."

"Whoa there baby brother. What makes you think Old Merle can't be serious once in a while." Merle said giving his brother the same old shit eating grin he had given him most of his life.

"Come on Merle, I'm serious." Daryl pleaded.

"OK, hit me. You've got the new and improved Merle Dixon at your disposal." Merle said trying his best to sound like a radio broadcaster.

Daryl let out a sigh and decided it was easiest to dive right into the conversation. "So you and Beth…you were her first…Right?"

Merle suddenly got a bit squirmy in his seat realizing Daryl wanted some intimate brotherly advice. "Yeah I was her first. I assume that means that the Doc is in a similar situation as Beth was."

Daryl nodded in affirmation. "She ain't never been with no one, never even had a boyfriend. One time things got heated and she offered herself to me, but I wasn't going to take advantage of her like that. I had told her that night that I wanted to marry her, but that I had some things to work out. She knows some of them, but not all." Daryl admitted.

"You ain't told her all the details about the war…have you?" Merle asked.

"No, couldn't bring myself to talk about it. The fact of the matter is that when I'm with her I don't think about it quite as much as I used too, and when I do think about it, things get bad for me sleep wise again. I ain't had a bad nightmare really since that day she came to the house, and for that I'm thankful." Daryl told Merle.

"They ain't stopped all together?" Merle asked.

"Nah, they are still there. I doubt they will ever stop." Daryl said sadly.

"Look Daryl, your secret is safe with me about what really happened that day. I think I'm the only one that knows and we will keep it that way, but I still wish you would realize you never did nothing wrong. Do you think you will ever tell her?" Merle asked Daryl as cautiously as he could.

"Don't know. If she finds out about the coward I was that day, she may leave me." Daryl told him.

"You ain't a coward and she ain't gonna leave you. Simple as that boy." Merle replied.

"Well I don't want to talk about it no more. I do want to talk to you about…relations." Daryl said barely able to get the word out.

Merle lit up and laughed "Now that is something I can give you plenty of advice about. Now I know you have had a few rolls in the hay with a few nameless faces here and there, but have you ever had a legitimate love making experience?"

Daryl blushed and looked down, unable to make eye contact with his brother. "Other than the French woman, no."

"Well since Alyssa hasn't either, then this will be easier on ya. As difficult as it will be for ya, you gotta go slow. Kiss her a lot, gently caress her body and get her and yourself to relax. Keeping her calm and relaxed is the key. Whisper to her and keep her encouraged, but still keep things slow and gentle. Learn to read her body. Now since she is a virgin, when it comes time to actually do the deed, it might not be the most comfortable for her, so you gotta go in a little at a time until you feel that barrier break. Once it does just stop for a moment and let her get used to the feel of you inside of her. Look her in the eyes and ask her if it's OK to continue. If she is agreeable, then go slow. Ain't gonna lie little brother it's gonna be tight and feel like heaven, but you gotta keep yourself in control so you don't blow your load too fast." Merle said in true Merle fashion.

By now Daryl was red as a beet and looking anywhere he could except at his brother. "What do you do to keep that under control?"

"Think about something other than how good it feels. Look at a picture on the wall or think about hunting, just until you get yourself under control. Tell me what you always did before?" Merle asked curiously.

"Unzipped my pants, felt around for the target and generally just pushed myself inside. I didn't do no kissing and certainly no cuddling. I think Alyssa was the first woman I actually really kissed, that I can remember. After a few thrusts I could feel myself getting there and just as I was about too get there I would pull out. Usually left a mess on some girls leg or belly, but at least I didn't have no kids. I did get a blood test the other week to make sure I ain't never picked up nothing, and I'm clean. Ain't gonna lie, even though I ain't had a lot of experience, I was worried I could of picked up syphilis or something." Daryl admitted to his older brother.

Merle tried hard to remain the serious older brother, but hearing Daryl talk about his pitiful sexual experiences amused him. At least Merle knew he had the reputation as a ladies man, not that he was proud of it, but he at least had some idea of what a woman would like. Daryl was going into his marriage with next to no experience. "Just relax and let things happen naturally and you will be OK. Think about her needs first and everything will be just fine. Now just so you don't panic, because I know you, if there is a bit of blood don't worry. Not sure if you knew that or not."

Daryl had heard enough to know that bleeding after a sexual experience with a virgin could happen. Even though he knew, the thought of possibly hurting Alyssa still bothered him. "Do you think she knows all of this?"

"For God's sake Daryl, she's a doctor. She knows all of this and probably more than you and me together. Hell Beth knew quite a bit from what she learned in nursing school. You'll be just fine and she will too. Just don't let yourself get nervous." Merle informed him.

"I'm more worried about hurting her or lasting ten seconds, but yeah, I'll try not to get nervous." Daryl said with an insecure laugh.

"Merle, do you regret getting married? I mean you seem happier than I've ever seen you and at forty six year old you are finally acting like an adult." Daryl asked him.

"Where is this coming from? You getting doubts about marrying that beautiful woman who loves you more than anything? Sometimes brother you are your own worse enemy." Merle scolded.

"Merle she is so much more than I am. She's giving up so much to be my wife and I don't want her to have any regrets. I'm just a dumbass farmer who is fucked up in the head. What if I have one of those bad nightmares and I hurt her? What if she realizes she could have had so much more in life if she didn't marry me…what if she finds out the truth about what happened in Cantigny?" Daryl admitted.

"She will be fine with all of that Daryl, she loves you and love conquers all." Merle told him.

"What if I'm like… _ **him?**_ " Daryl squeaked out.

"You ain't like him, neither of us are. You are gonna be a fucking good pussy whipped husband like me and Jess. I used to make fun of men like us…because I was jealous. I wouldn't trade it for all the tea in China baby brother. You'll see, but you gotta let yourself enjoy this. This is the Dixon's finally getting their little piece of happiness." Merle told his brother, and Daryl just shook his head trying to convince himself that Merle was right.

…

While Merle and Daryl were having their brotherly heart to heart they didn't realize who had come in and taken the seat behind them. It seemed today breakfast was a true Dixon bonding experience. When Will realized it was his sons sitting behind him talking about their most intimate moments in life, he couldn't help but strain his ears to listen.

He knew his youngest son was weak, but when he heard the confessions he had made to his older brother, it just proved what he thought. Daryl was a little pussy who was scared of his own shadow. The one little tidbit that pushed Will over the line from annoyed that his son was a pussy to the point that he wanted to hurt him was the way he heard both boys talk about him. Sure, he wasn't the best husband or father, but he didn't kill their mother directly, and both boys managed to survive to adulthood. They knew how to fight and to defend themselves and that was because he had taught them that. Hearing Daryl confess his insecurities to Merle gave Will an idea. Daryl's fragile emotional state was going to make this an easy task to accomplish.

He had heard Merle say he was going to head home and Daryl told him he was going down to the livestock market to place the order for the poultry they wanted to arrive in the Spring. That meant Daryl would be alone and easy pickings. Will never understood why he had so much resentment towards his youngest son, but a part of him could never truly accept that the kid was his. He knew that he was because his puritanical wife would have never strayed from their marriage, but Will couldn't understand how he had created such a weak minded boy. Getting into Daryl's head was almost too easy.

Daryl was walking out of the Feed and Seed store when he heard his name called. He knew who it was before he even saw the old man's face. None other than his father.

"What do you want?" Daryl asked through gritted teeth.

"Well boy, is that anyway to greet your father?" Will said through a fake smile.

"You following me?" Daryl asked.

"Nope. Came by here to pick up a little fencing to put around Me and Paula's back yard. You should stop by and see the place. I think you would really like it." Will said.

"If you live there I won't like it. Now let me be, I got things to do." Daryl told the older man. He couldn't help but notice that his father not only was sober, but was actually clean shaven and dressed neatly. He reckoned there was a first time for everything.

"Oh yeah, heard you are getting married tomorrow. Got yourself a real nice piece of ass there boy. Sure hope you can keep her satisfied." Will taunted.

"You best shut the hell up old man." Daryl threatened, and Will tried real hard to hide his smile. He had Daryl on the hook.

"What boy? You ain't told her the truth about what a fuck up you really are? Or how you froze in fear like the little weak minded idiot you are out on that battlefield? Huh? How you got three boys killed by being a total pussy? Don't you think little Ms. Doctor lady needs to know that?" Will asked in a sneering voice.

"Shut the fuck up." Daryl said as he grabbed his father by the collar.

"What? Truth hurt? You know the first time she sees your naked ass and your small little dick she's gonna run for them hills. You ain't no better than me…hell you are probably worse. Can you imagine what fucking idiots your babies are gonna be if they take after you? Little crying cowards…Just like Daddy Daryl. Don't forget I know the truth boy…I lived in that house and heard you about piss your pants every night as you screamed out…how you cried out the names of those boys you killed. Son's that won't go home to their mother, husbands that didn't make it home to their wives, and kids that never knew their daddies. Yeah boy, that's on you. Good thing your doctor woman knows all these things….Right?" Will said as he blatantly laughed at his now shaking son.

Daryl couldn't take it any more. He hauled off and punched his father and then realized what Will had just done. He had done like he always had and ruined everything. Daryl was panting as Will got up off the ground wiping the blood from his face. "Go home boy and ruin that woman's life."

Daryl was breathing in short panicked breaths and pacing like a caged lion. Not knowing what to do he got in the truck and drove towards Merle's like a bat out of hell. When he arrived, he was relieved to find that Merle wasn't home and that Beth was gone too.

He quickly grabbed two pieces of paper, two envelopes and a pen and began to write a note to both Alyssa and to Merle. Alyssa would be heart broken, but she would understand and be happier in the long run. After he wrote the notes and left them on the table he grabbed a few items, drove to town and withdrew some cash from the bank and then headed North. The further he got away the better chance that Alyssa would have getting her life back together.

It wasn't something that he wanted to do. In fact he hated himself for leaving, but he knew he would hate himself even more if he had chosen to stay. Everything Daryl touched fell apart, and the last thing he wanted was to destroy Alyssa like he had everything else in his life.

So sorry for the long wait on this chapter- It's been chaotic. Good news is that it looks like I'm going to keep my job for a while. Yay-

 **Please don't kill me for this chapter after the sweet chapter I gave you last time….Its not over between Daryl and Alyssa- Let's see what Merle can do to get his brother set on the right path.**

 **Please let me know what you think and leave me a review. I've been toying with shorter chapters, but I don't know how to break them up. At least this is a nice long one for you.**

 **A special shout out to:**

 **Jean F**

 **Athlete Girl**

 **.2016**

 **Miss October 13**

 **ArcheryLefty**

 **You guys are so sweet and kind to leave your awesome reviews. I apologize for making everyone wait so long for updates. It's not fair to you and I truly apologize.**

 **Take Care everyone-**

 **Missy**

 **XXOO**


	15. Chapter 15

Merle was working diligently trying to fix one of the milking machines. The Babson Brothers Surge Milker was the top of the line milking machine, but every now and then they would break down and needed to be repaired. Luckily for Merle it was the most popular machine on the market and parts were easy to come by. It would take a week or so for him to get the new parts so he decided he would head down to the feed store and place his order. Too bad he didn't know the machine was acting up earlier as he could have had Daryl order the parts for him.

Merle got in the truck and headed to town. When he entered the store he was offered a warm greeting by the store owner, Tobin Gentry. The man was one of the tallest individuals Merle had ever met, but he was also one of the nicest individuals Merle knew as well. Even with all the hell raising Merle had done in the past, Tobin always treated him like he was as important as anyone else.

"Afternoon Merle, must be my day to see all of the Dixon men. The only one I haven't seen today is your Uncle Jess. Saw your brother and father earlier. It didn't look like they were having the friendliest of conversations though." Tobin told Merle.

"What? The old man was here? How long ago?" Merle asked as worry hit him. Now that he thought about it, Daryl was supposed to come back to the farm and they were going to go over what Merle would be handling on his own for the next few weeks. He and Jess had agreed to give Daryl some much deserved time off so he could enjoy being a newly married man and maybe take Alyssa on a little honeymoon. Daryl had tried to schedule a trip for the two of them to head to Vermont and New England, but Dr. Mahmet had said that the amount of travel required and the length of time that they would be gone would not be in Alyssa's best interest. She would still need to return twice a week for follow up visits for the rest of the year and Daryl didn't want to risk anything that could inhibit her healing process.

"A few hours ago. You're dad is looking much better these days, but apparently he said something that set Daryl off. I've known Daryl all my life and he can get a bit emotional, especially since coming back from the War, but he looked plenty pissed Merle. I even saw him jerk your daddy by the collar." Tobin told him.

"Do you know which way he headed when he left?" Merle asked in a tone a bit more terse than he intended.

"Towards the farm…he lit out of here real quick like. Is everything OK?" Tobin asked.

Merle handed Tobin the list of the items he needed and told him he would be by to pick them up when they came in and then he got in the truck and headed back towards the farm.

…

While Merle and Daryl were busy spending the day together, Hannah and Beth were getting everything ready for Alyssa's big day. Alyssa had picked out a three-quarter length Silk Organza gown with a plunging V-neck. The sleeves were capped and the entire upper part of the gown was overlaid with lace. The lace covered a good part of the plunging neckline and allowed the gown a sense of modesty that Alyssa was comfortable with. It was sensual, but not too sensual. The lace became more fitted along with the rest of the gown as it hit the waist of the dress. The remaining part of the dress was just plain silk that flowed downward from the hips. Each sleeve was trimmed with three pearl buttons, but other than the buttons and the lace, the dress was relatively simple.

Beth and Hannah helped Alyssa get up out of bed so she could try it on. She slipped out of the hospital gown and Beth handed her a bra that they had to help her put on. Fortunately for Alyssa the wound on her side was about three inches below the lower part of the bra, which meant that she wouldn't have to worry about the under garment rubbing against her painfully. Of course, they had to take off the sling to get her into the bra, and then Hannah gently draped a silk slip over Alyssa's battered body. Beth had not seen Alyssa's burns since the night of the fire, but upon looking at the damaged flesh she smiled.

"Alyssa, these burns are healing up tremendously well. The skin is healthy and pink. Milton has done a great job of treating them." Beth said as Hannah shook her head in agreement. Both ladies had expected the wound to look worse.

"I thought so too, but Milton said he still thought I was at high risk for infection. He has a lot more experience treating something like this than I do so I am still taking it easy. He wants me in the office twice a week for the next two months or so, so it must be worse than it looks. It doesn't even hurt that much anymore. I've been taken an aspirin or two a day, but that's it. The worse thing is that it can be somewhat itchy, but I have a salve for that." Alyssa told them.

"You know Daryl is going to treat you like a China doll when you get out of here. Do you think you two will be able to…you know?" Beth said with a devilish grin on her face.

"First thing I'm going to do is take a proper bath." Alyssa said as Hannah slipped the wedding dress over her.

Beth and Hannah both gasped at how beautiful the dress looked on Alyssa "Hold that thought Alyssa, this dress looks almost perfect on you. I'm going to take it in just a bit in the shoulders and then it will be perfect." Hannah said.

"Thanks Hannah- I wish I didn't have to wear this sling." Alyssa told them sadly.

"Well how bad is your shoulder bothering you?" Beth asked.

"Since I've moved very little in the past two weeks it doesn't bother me that much. In medical school they told us to only require a patient to use the sling as long as pain exists, but once again Milton said that we couldn't risk it not healing properly." Alyssa replied.

"Are you sure Milton isn't being a bit overly cautious with you?" Hannah asked.

"Why would he be?" Alyssa asked.

"Maybe because you are one of his peers and you would know if he wasn't treating you properly. Maybe by being extreme he thinks he is protecting his reputation as a top doctor. Let's be honest, most people don't know if they are getting good care or not. As long as whatever ails them eventually gets better they think they are getting good treatment. Case in point, Philip Blake. That man had no business dealing with a pregnancy like Lori Grimes and you and I both know that. Lori, however, refused to believe anything differently because he had successfully delivered Carl…but that turned out to be a tragic mistake." Hannah reminded her.

"So what are you saying Hannah?" Alyssa asked.

"Just use your own judgment. If you think Dr. Mahmet is being overly cautious then you make the decisions. Maybe wear the sling at night to prevent yourself from moving the shoulder awkwardly as you sleep, but don't wear it during the day. As long as nothing hurts I would go with that. I understand his concerns about infection with the burn, but I think the sling is overkill at this point." Hannah said.

Alyssa actually agreed with Hannah's words of wisdom. After all, Alyssa was a doctor too, and she would give her own patients the same advice Hannah gave her.

"Good advice Ms. Hannah. We just won't mention it to Dr. Mahmet so he won't worry." Alyssa agreed.

"OK, let's get back to talking about the good stuff." Beth said eagerly.

"Well I think the first thing I want to do tomorrow after the wedding and party is go home and take a warm sudsy bath. The water can't be too hot, but just soaking in a tub sounds so good. All of these sponge baths aren't cutting it for me." Alyssa told them.

"Perfect…you can get Daryl to help out." Beth said causing Alyssa to blush.

"Um…" was all Alyssa was able to get out.

"Honey, what do you know about what goes on with a man and a woman?" Hannah asked outright.

Alyssa blushed "I know the mechanics of it all, but I've never talked to anyone about the actual details. I know where things go, and there can be some pain at first, but I don't know about the ' _ **Romance**_ ' part of the experience. I mean how do you not get embarrassed by the nakedness?"

Beth laughed out loud and Hannah gave her a look that told her to pipe down. Then Hannah began to speak "When you are with the man you love and when he is with the woman he loves, being unclothed doesn't even cross your mind. I know you have seen men naked before and when you did, how did you feel?"

"It was a job, I didn't really think about it." Alyssa admitted.

"When you and Daryl are together in an intimate way, there is no reason to be embarrassed. My guess is you two will be so enthralled with each other you won't notice. Sexual attraction takes over and eventually you just lose yourself. Trust me, it is one of the most pleasurable experiences you have." Hannah said in a motherly tone.

"Tell me about it. I begged Merle to take me as his, even before we were married. I just felt this unbelievable ache between my thighs that needed to be satisfied. Of course, Merle refused to take me as his own until we married, and when we finally did come together, Oh My God it was amazing." Beth said enthusiastically.

"And fertile as well." Alyssa joked back pointing to Beth's small baby bump.

"Do you plan on waiting on children or are you going try right away?" Hannah asked.

"My cycle has always been regular, so if we wanted to post pone children, I think we could. I always keep up with the days on the calendar. However, I'm thirty years old and Daryl is thirty eight, so I think waiting may not be the best thing. And Beth, I know that feeling you were talking about…I offered myself to Daryl once too, and just like Merle he turned me down. So that physical yearning I had when we were together that night, that's a normal feeling?"

"Absolutely." Both women said in tandem, causing Alyssa to laugh.

"Any advice for the wedding night?" Alyssa asked shyly. She may have been a doctor, but when it came to sexual relations she was completely naïve. Her mother had told her that women didn't discuss such things and she would find out on her wedding night. Now for the first time in her life she was experiencing honest to goodness girl talk, and she was going to take full advantage of any information both ladies could offer her.

"Just relax and let things happen naturally. If you are tense it can make things painful, but if you just let yourself go with the incredible feel of your man's body and don't tense up, it's unbelievable. Daryl loves you more than anything, and if he is anything like Merle he will be a gentle but thorough lover. I can't get enough of the feel of Merle inside of me." Beth said proudly.

"Beth, these are my nephews we are talking about. I'm not sure I need to know about Merle's love making abilities." Hannah teased as Alyssa blushed three shades of red.

"Oh Hush Hannah, you know that you feel the same way about Jess. He's a Dixon too, and quite the looker. It seems to me all of the men in the Dixon family…well other than Will, are quite handsome." Beth said.

"Believe it or not, Will was once a handsome man. I've seen a few old photos before, and Will looked a lot like Merle but with darker hair. Hard living has caught up with Will and I'm thankful that Jess never went down that path. The best news of all is that Will is finally off the farm, and that eye sore of a farm house is finally going to get the tending too it deserves. Are you excited about that Alyssa?" Hanna inquired to the soon to be bride.

"Beyond excited. Daryl hasn't even gone into the house since he purchased it, he wants us to experience it together." Alyssa told them with a bright smile on her face.

"From here on out you two will be experiencing everything together. Daryl is a good man, and you mean the world to him. He has finally found his joy in you Alyssa. You both deserve this happiness." Beth said as she carefully hugged her soon to be sister in law.

After all the girl talk, Beth and Hannah helped Alyssa wash and then roll her hair and then Hannah poured two buckets of warm water for one final sponge bath for Alyssa. This time Alyssa was at least able to handle most of the scrubbing herself using a lavender soap bar that Beth had brought for her. Beth had found a men's razor and Alyssa shaved her legs for the first time in weeks and had to admit, she finally felt somewhat human.

…

Beth and Hannah were pulling onto the path at the Dixon farm just as Merle was returning from town. He took the time to regain his composure as he followed Hannah and Beth to his home. Hannah parked to let Beth out of the truck and Merle pulled up and parked beside them.

"Hi Merle, you look a bit flushed. Everything OK?" Hannah asked.

Merle didn't want to cause any type of panic regarding Daryl so he just shook his head "Yep, just glad to get my own bride back for the day."

Beth picked up immediately in Merle's reply that something wasn't quite right. "Thanks for everything Hannah, We'll see you at the courthouse tomorrow. Are you sure you can handle everything with Alyssa by yourself?"

"Sure thing sweetie. I'll have Clarissa and Jess with me too, so we should be just fine. Looking forward to the wedding. I'm going to stop by and check with your mother one more time to make sure we are good to go with all the food and then I think I'm going to take the rest of the night off. You two have a good evening and tell Daryl I hate I missed him." Hannah said as she re-started the truck and headed back out towards the Green farm.

As soon as Hannah was out of sight Beth turned to Merle "What's wrong?"

"Daryl didn't by any chance stop by the hospital did he?" Merle asked in a serious tone.

"No, why?" Beth asked.

"Tobin saw Daryl and Daddy together outside of the Feed store. He said Daryl looked more than a little upset. You know how Will can get into his head like no one else can. Come on let's get you inside out of this cold and let me try to figure something out." Merle told her as he took her hand and led her up the steps into the home.

They weren't in the house one minute when Beth spotted the two envelopes on the table. "Merle, Daryl left two letters here. One for you and one for Alyssa."

"Fuck. Daryl doesn't write letters." Merle said as he opened up the one addressed to him.

Merle-

 _ **I can't do this. I can't ruin one more life, especially not Alyssa's. She deserves better than me…better than what I can give her. I'll call you when I find a place-but you gotta let me go. Thanks for all you and Beth have done for me. Please take care of Alyssa-I set up an account for her at the bank and the store- I still want her to have it. I'll send you the funds to cover.**_

 _ **Take care of yourselves and the little one-**_

 _ **Daryl**_

"Damnit. That boy is his own worse enemy. Beth I gotta go find him and talk him out of this bullshit. Don't say anything to anyone until I get back. We've still got time to get him straightened out and I'm going to make good use of that time." Merle told her as he handed the letter to Beth to read.

"Where do you think he went?" Beth asked.

"North most likely. I'm gonna head out now. You get some rest and I'll call you later." Merle told her as he headed back out the door towards the truck. He was full of worry for his younger brother, but he had to believe he could find him before Daryl made the worst mistake of his life.

…

Milton entered Alyssa's room and found the young doctor reading a book. Even with her hair in curlers and the silk scarf wrapped around her head she looked stunning. He caught the scent of lavender and thought it appropriate that someone so beautiful should also smell so enticing.

"Milton, how nice to see you. I bet you are ready to get rid of me." Alyssa said to the doctor.

"Never, you have been a pleasure as a patient." He replied. She had been more than a pleasure for him, but he would never tell her that.

"So am I gonna live?" Alyssa joked.

"Alyssa let's not joke about such things. Your injuries were serious and if your friend and Beth hadn't gotten to you when they did you most likely would have perished." Milton said in a stern tone.

"Milton, I understand that, but it didn't happen. And Daryl is much more than my friend, he's about to be my husband." Alyssa said in a calm tone when she noticed how much Milton cared for her well being.

"Did you tell him about Baltimore? About the offer to practice at Johns Hopkins?" Milton asked.

"No, there was no point. There wasn't anyway I could ask him to leave everything here to move to Baltimore. Georgia is in his blood and he would be giving up too much." Alyssa explained.

"What about what you are giving up Alyssa? You know I wasn't happy when you left your position here on the staff to start your own practice in Holly Springs. I had plans to set up a research team and putting you in charge. There are so many more advances in medicine that need to be explored." Milton informed her.

"Milton, I'm not a researcher. I'm a doctor who wants nothing more than to treat people. I get the medical journals and I rely on the research of others to inform me about what methods of treatment for illnesses and injuries. I'm happy with my decisions." Alyssa replied.

"For now at least. But what happens in a few years when all the newness with Mr. Dixon wears off and you realize what you gave up." Milton said.

"Milton, do you have a problem with Daryl?" Alyssa asked point blank.

"No…it's just that you two are so different Alyssa and I don't want you to regret your decisions." Milton told her. Of course he had a problem with Daryl. Daryl was so much beneath her beauty, grace, and intelligence. He couldn't understand what she saw in the farmer. From what Milton could pick up on the man was even more emotionally stunted than he himself was, and his social skills were severely lacking.

"We are different Milton, but that's what I like about him. Daryl is a true and genuine man. There are no hidden agendas associated with him at all. He loves me more than anything and he would never do anything to hurt me. And just so you know, we really aren't so different. I grew up on a farm as well and I know what it is like to come from humble beginnings. That's probably why it was easy for me to turn down the research positions here with you and the staff position at Johns Hopkins. I just want to make people better." Alyssa said emphatically.

"I can try to accept that." Milton told her. "I did have a talk with him regarding your physical relationship and I think it is in your best interest to avoid anything strenuous for a while. You don't want to risk injury to your healing wound. Any type of tear can open it up and make you susceptible to infection." Milton warned. He knew it was bullshit, and she probably did too, but the idea of her being intimate with that hillbilly drove him insane.

"Milton, you seem to forget I am a doctor and I know my body better than anyone. With that being said, I don't think it is appropriate to discuss such matters with you." Alyssa said a little frustrated.

"I'm sorry Alyssa, you are right. I wish you nothing but the best and I want you to know that no matter what happens that I will always be here for you." The doctor told her, hoping to correct the mistake he had made. He came too close to letting her know his true feelings, and now wasn't the time for that.

"It's fine Milton, I know you care. Why don't you come by the Dixon farm tomorrow and celebrate with us. Once you meet everyone I think you will see what it is that draws me to Daryl." Alyssa said with a smile as she extended the kindness.

"I don't want to impose." Milton said.

"You won't be imposing…it's a celebration with family and friends, and if it wasn't for you I might not still be here. Please?" She pleaded.

"As long as nothing crucial pops up here I will stop by. But for now, I need to finish my rounds. I will sign off on your paperwork tonight for your release in the morning and I still expect to see you in here twice a week for the near future." Milton told her. It was a desperate ploy to be able to see her regularly, and for now it was working, but it wouldn't take Alyssa long to figure out that she was nearly healed. Almost too perfectly for his liking. He had a quick and sudden very dark thought, then just as quickly as it appeared he shook it from his head…he wasn't a monster. But what if it was for the greater good?

…

As soon as Daryl wrote the letters and grabbed his things he got in his truck and headed North. He had made it about twenty miles out of Holly Springs when it began to rain heavily. Daryl felt the truck jolt and knew he had a flat tire.

"This day gets better and better." He thought to himself as he pulled over to the side of the road and got out into the cold pouring rain. As he pulled the spare tire out of the truck and began to swap it out with the damaged tire the rain pelted him. Each drop stung worse than the previous, but to Daryl it seemed like a just punishment. He knew his leaving would devastate Alyssa, but she would be better off in the long run. The rain was punishment for what he had done to her, and he hoped to receive more. It wasn't fair what he had done and he deserved so much worse. Just like he deserved to be punished for the deaths of James, Louis, and Charlie McDonnell. He knew he had gotten off way to easy for what he had done twenty years ago, and the way he saw it, losing Alyssa would be his penance.

He didn't have any definite plans…just head North for now. Unfortunately with the rain the roads were nearly impassable and someone had rigged up a sign on the road stating it was closed due to flooding. The State police were out directing people to turn around, but Daryl didn't have anywhere to go. So he drove a mile or so to Jasper Georgia and booked a room in the first motel he found.

The man at the desk had Daryl sign the ledger and gave him the room key. Daryl ran back out to his truck and pulled out his duffel and headed into the small room for the night. He would finalize his plans in the morning, but for now he just needed to self-medicate. That meant he would be dipping into the jar of moonshine he had hidden for years in the back of his closet. There was no more reason to save it anymore. There would be no happy occasions for him to celebrate.

Tonight he would drink every last drop of it and hope to quell the ache he felt in his heart. He had a few months of happiness…enough to give him a taste of what joy felt like, but his father had done a great job of reminding him of how much Dixon's destroyed everyone around them. In Daryl's mind, he was no different than his father. Nothing more than a lifetime of bad decisions and hurt. That's why Daryl had drawn so inward. He never wanted to risk hurting anyone else…and Alyssa was the icing on the cake. He would do nothing more than destroy the vibrant young woman she was. He couldn't be a father, no child would want to be like him, and he didn't have the same spark that Merle or Jess had. He was Daryl Dixon…the emotionally unstable murderer that went away to war a boy and came back as a ghost of a man. He deserved nothing but a lifetime of misery and loneliness.

Daryl broke the seal on the jar and began to gulp down the liquor. It was smooth, but it still burned as it slid down his throat and hit his nearly empty belly. The burn felt good and after a few swallows he began to feel the effects. Drinking had been the one thing Alyssa had asked him not to do, and now that she would no longer be a part of his life, he was free to enjoy the effects of the alcohol. This had to be the reason why his father chose to drink…the numbing effect and the separation from reality was a pleasant feeling. The events of the day began to way heavily on him, and before he knew it he had polished off the entire jar and was passed out on the small bed in the motel room.

" _ **Come on Baby brother-This country is going to war and you know a woman can't turn down a man in uniform." Merle told Daryl.**_

" _ **Merle, I just graduated high school less than a week ago…I ain't even old enough to join up. You gotta be eighteen and I ain't even seventeen." Daryl replied.**_

" _ **Close enough, just tell 'em your eighteen. They are gonna be so desperate for volunteers they ain't gonna check. Come on Darylina-beautiful exotic women, a chance to see the world, and a chance to get the fuck out of this place and away from 'him'." Said Merle.**_

 _ **Daryl thought about what his brother was proposing. His father would have a fit if they left…it would mean he would have to run the farm himself. Jess was still out west and no one knew when he was coming back. It's not that his father was a bad farmer, in fact, when he was sober he was actually pretty damn good at it, it's just that if they left there was no guarantee he wouldn't run the place into the ground. Maybe it was the kick in the ass that Will Dixon needed.**_

" _ **Fine Merle…we'll go see the world and get the fuck out of this place."**_

 _ **In late January the boys reported to Camp Gordon for boot camp. It was just outside of Augusta and even though it was technically winter, the heat was still stifling. The military training camp had been thrown together hastily in just a few months. The United States had declared war less than a year earlier in April, and suddenly there was a need for training camps. When Merle and Daryl arrived you could still smell the scent of fresh cut lumber from all the barracks that had been crudely constructed.**_

 _ **Both brothers had been assigned to infantry positions and within three days they had the pleasure of being assigned with three other brothers. James, Louis, and Charlie McDonnell. They were three young brothers of Irish descent that were full of life and full of hell. Each of them possessed the reddest hair Daryl had ever seen and that fiery red hair went along with fiery tempers as well. One minute they would all be drinking together, and the next thing you knew Merle and Daryl would be breaking the brothers apart from a fight. Now Merle and Daryl could throw down on occasion, but nothing compared to this rambunctious threesome.**_

 _ **Charlie was the oldest of the three brothers as well as the oldest of the group. He was twenty-eight years old and had three daughters all under the age of six. Daryl had seen photos of his wife, Marla, and he would describe her as "pleasantly plump" but not unattractive. She looked like the type of woman who wouldn't put up with any shit, but could be loving at the same time. Charlie was a tough son of a bitch, unless he was talking about his Marla, or his daughters Katy, May, and Eliza. Though Charlie would ride his brothers hard, if anyone else so much as looked the wrong way at the younger two, Charlie would become a force to be reckoned with. He was fiercely protective of his family and anyone with any sense that knew the brothers knew to treat them with respect.**_

 _ **Louis and James were what people called Irish twins. They were less than twelve months apart. Louis was the same age as Merle, and James was just eleven months younger at twenty four. James had reluctantly left his pregnant wife Ingrid behind while Louis had a fiancée he had left to join up. Daryl thought himself lucky that he really didn't leave anything behind. The only person he really cared about these days was Merle, and he was with him at Camp.**_

 _ **Everything at camp was routine. There was a Four AM wakeup call every morning, followed up by Physical training for two hours. Daryl would never admit it, but he was starting to finally fill out into a more masculine form. His arms and shoulders were developing into something impressive, even to him. All the years of malnutrition had take a toll on his young body, but now that he was in the ARMY he was getting three square meals a day and the routine exercise was helping as well.**_

 _ **Merle was excelling with his shooting skills and was moved into the elite Sniper training. He was insistent though that no matter what, wherever Daryl went he would go as well. Though Daryl was doing well, Merle, just like Charlie, felt the need to keep an eye on his younger brother.**_

 _ **As the time passed at camp, the training maneuvers became more difficult and finally after three months the boys would all be graduating from boot camp and would be given their orders. Daryl loved the military. It offered him the sense of stability in life he had never had before. His confidence had grown as he had been complemented many times on his ability to become covert like no one else in his unit. Years of living with a drunk for a father had taught him that. You learned how not to be noticed when an overt action could lead to a sever beating.**_

 _ **The night that they finished boot camp they were all given two days leave and since the McDonnell's all lived near by, Merle and Daryl had been invited to spend time with them. The entire family, including the boys parents all lived in one large house on a large farm just outside of Augusta.**_

 _ **Esther and Colm McDonnell took the Dixon's into their home just like they were their own sons. Daryl had not been fussed over like this since his mother had passed away. Everyone had taken to calling Daryl 'baby boy' as he was the youngest by a long ways, and they had always heard Merle refer to him as 'baby brother'. Normally Daryl would have been offended, but they called him by his nickname with such affection that he didn't dare complain.**_

 _ **After the two days at the farm, the boys returned to Camp Gordon, but not before enjoying one night out on the town drinking heavily. Merle hooked up with a red haired woman with one of the worst dye jobs Daryl had ever seen. Her name was Ruby Sue and she had an ample bosom and backside that Merle couldn't ignore. While the McDonnell's and Daryl drank heavily, Merle disappeared for an hour or so off to 'sow some oats' so to speak. Merle never seemed to have a problem with the ladies, but Daryl had yet to partake in the ways of love with any woman. Not so much as even a chaste kiss. Of course, the boys all teased him mercilessly about it, but Daryl took it all in stride. Hell, he was only seventeen, there was plenty of time, and he damn sure wasn't going to run off with some floozy like Ruby Sue. He had standards and no matter how much he drank, those standards didn't change.**_

 _ **The evening ended with Daryl puking his guts out behind the bar and then being dragged back onto base by Merle. They made it back to the barracks by two in the morning and Merle actually had to tie Daryl into his bunk to keep the kid from falling out. The next morning they had to be up and packed for their transport to Savannah where they would be setting sail for France.**_

 _ **Daryl felt like death the next morning, but he never said a word about it. The brother's all took pity on him and helped him every way the could, including Merle actually carrying his young brother's duffel when it looked like Daryl could barely hold himself up. It was actually a blessing when they arrived in Savannah, boarded their ship, and finally disembarked. By now people were noticing Daryl was pretty sick, but most of the troops assumed it was a result of being ocean bound.**_

 _ **The next two weeks were spent with each of the men taking watch duty, eating regularly, relaxing and talking about what they expected to see in France, and talking about everything other than the fact that they most likely would be on some battlefield in short time. The fact that they could meet an uncertain death was never discussed as all of them thought it to be bad luck. Merle couldn't fathom what it would be like to lose Daryl in war. He would never admit it out loud, but if he lost Daryl, he would lose a piece of his heart. He and Daryl never were expressive of their feelings for each other, but each man knew where they stood with the other. Merle would gladly lay down his life for his brother, and Daryl would do the same for Merle.**_

 _ **They finally arrived in Southern France at the Port of Saint Nazaire in mid May of 1918. They were then transported to Paris to await further orders. Daryl had never seen any place as big and bright as Paris. Even with the country at war it seemed nothing could deter the life in the city. He got to see the Eiffel Tower first hand and the mere size of the tower took his breath away. When he read about Paris in his history books, he never dreamed he would one day be standing in the heart of the historic city.**_

 _ **Of course being in a city with so much life meant that the boys were all going to take advantage of their twenty four hours of leave. Merle led the charge and dragged them all to a Burlesque show and Daryl could not control his body. He had never been so thankful for a dark smoky room in his life. This was the first time he had seen a naked woman, let alone women as beautiful as the ones that paraded across the stage in front of him. He caught the scent of expensive perfume and with the blend of the curvaceous sirens flaunting their most feminine parts and the seductive dancing they were doing, he thought he might pass out.**_

 _ **After they left the Burlesque show they headed to another club in town and it was here that Daryl met Yvette LaFontaine. She was the most striking woman Daryl had ever seen in his life. Her hair was golden and her eyes were brown and she spoke English with a heavy French accent. The alcohol he had consumed gave him courage, and Merle and the other boys gently urged Daryl to pursue the woman. She was probably in her mid twenties, older than Daryl, but still young and youthful. Her figure was perfect and she genuinely seemed to like Daryl. As the night grew later and later, she asked Daryl if he wanted to go with her to her apartment for a drink. He wasn't sure how to react to the proposition, but Merle told him to go and they would all meet at the base in the morning.**_

 _ **Yvette had taken Daryl back to her apartment and could tell the young soldier was nervous. She spoke softly and kindly to the inexperienced young man and offered him a gentle kiss. Daryl didn't know what to do at first, but the obviously experienced older woman did know what to do. It didn't take long for the kissing to progress to something much more intimate and before Daryl could protest he was clad only in his military issued boxers with a mostly naked woman in his arms. Yvette caressed his erection and Daryl wasn't sure if he was going to explode or faint, but she spoke to him again softly and slowly and walked him through his first experience of lovemaking. Daryl's inexperience meant that the tryst didn't last very long, and to be honest Daryl was awkward with the woman, but she never let on. She told him it was a lovely evening and she hoped to see him again one day when he left the next morning. He was pretty certain that he had not satisfied her sexually, but she never once seemed to complain.**_

 _ **When he arrived at the base the next morning the brothers and Merle wanted all the details of his night with Yvette, and Daryl had no problem telling them, even embellishing on the story to save face. He was commended and applauded by all of them and even received a brotherly clap on the back from Merle. Daryl finally felt like a man.**_

 _ **They received their orders to move that afternoon. They would be on the offensive against the Germans who had taken a stronghold in the town of Cantigny France. This was the first US involved Offensive in the Great War and the objective was to push the Germans North and keep the Germans from progressing further South. They were going to be part of the US 1**_ _ **st**_ _ **division, also known to the French as the "Big Red One." A good part of the division had already established itself just outside of Cantigny and Daryl and the brothers were being sent to increase the American Presence and send a message to the Germans.**_

 _ **The men arrived late on the evening of May 27 and took their places in the dark and dank trenches. Just as the sun began to rise the next morning Daryl and the others were given their orders. Daryl and the McDonnell's job was to belly crawl across what they called "No Man's Land" and then attempt to take out the Germans ensconced in the trenches closest to the French and American forces. Merle let it be known that he was not pleased with Daryl practically being offered up for sacrifice and insisted he go along with his brother. His Sergeant informed him that Merle had no say in the situation and that Merle's job was to put his Sniper skills to good use and provide cover for Daryl and the brothers.**_

 _ **Merle wasn't happy, but Daryl told him they would be OK. In the few minutes before they were to be sent out onto the battlefield Daryl tried hard to calm himself, while the brothers all were offering up their final "Hail Mary's" that went along with their Catholic faith. Just as they began to crawl out Merle called to Daryl "Don't you worry baby brother, I got ya covered."**_

 _ **The main objective was to avoid being shot and triggering any land mines that had been placed by the Germans as a deterrent. At first it was quiet…almost too quiet and that made Daryl more nervous than he thought it would. Daryl was on the far left, with Charlie twenty feet away to his right, and then Louis and James on Charlie's right.**_

 _ **Things were going well as they carefully advanced towards the German lines, until they were spotted. The next thing Daryl knew was they were taking heavy fire and he had the sudden urge to flee. He could hear Merle screaming at him to keep his head down, but Daryl's youth and actual battle inexperience was starting to take a mental toll on him.**_

 _ **Daryl moved ahead another fifty feet when he spotted it. A dead man lying on the field in front of him. His eyes were still open, staring blankly at Daryl. Daryl had to fight the urge to vomit at the sight before him. The last time he had seen an actual dead body was when his mother passed away with him clinging to her. Suddenly his father's voice began to fill his head "You ain't nothing but a worthless piece of shit boy. Can't believe the damn ARMY would take a little cunt like you. You're gonna get your balls shot off and probably piss your pants like a fucking baby. I hope they do get ya, then that's one less thing I gotta worry about in this damn world."**_

 _ **Daryl froze. He couldn't move…his father's words playing over and over in his head. The next thing he knew he was moving backwards, away from the brothers. For the first time since he was a small child, Daryl Dixon was terrified. Merle was calling to his young brother, but Daryl couldn't hear him. Bullets were ripping through the air perilously close and Daryl still couldn't move forward. Louis noticed and tried to yell words of encouragement to Daryl but Daryl didn't respond. Louis continued to move forward while keeping his eye on Daryl and that was when Daryl heard it…the telltale click of a landmine being triggered. The explosion was massive and it killed Charlie, Louis, and James immediately. Bits and pieces of the brother's bodies began to rain down on Daryl and he was suddenly covered in the blood and gore of the three individuals he had been closest too in this world.**_

 _ **Daryl snapped out of his stupor and now was filled with rage. This had been his error, his fear…his cowardice that led to the McDonnell's death. Merle saw what happened and could no longer allow himself to remain in the trench. He crawled out and ran upright towards his brother. Merle's voice brought Daryl out of his trance and Daryl no longer gave a shit if he lived or died. Both brothers were now running across the battlefield firing their weapons and headed straight into the German lines.**_

 _ **By some miracle neither man had been wounded or tripped another landmine. Daryl dove into the German held trench first and began to use his bayonet to stab anything and anyone that moved. He then began to fire his gun, and Merle followed suit. In a matter of moments, they had killed nearly twenty Germans and opened up a hole in the German stronghold. The other allied troops took advantage of the situation and were able to finally force the German's back.**_

 _ **However, by now both Merle and Daryl had been wounded. Merle had taken a round to the shoulder, and Daryl had taken a bayonet to his side. They were both unable to move from the trench as a result of blood loss and exhaustion. Fortunately for them the medics were able to respond quickly and get the men off the battlefield and to the safety of a military hospital close by.**_

 _ **Merle healed up quickly but was told he could not return to battle until his shoulder was fully functioning again. Daryl was another story. Though his wounds were healing, his thoughts were haunted. He would wake up screaming in terror every time he went to sleep, and the lack of rest was keeping Daryl from fully recovering. When he was awake he refused to speak. The horror of what he had seen and what he felt he had done were destroying him. Without many other options, Daryl was put under heavy sedation so that he could at least get rest.**_

 _ **By the time that Daryl and Merle were declared fit enough to leave the hospital, the War was nearly over and both brothers were being sent home not only with an honorable discharge, but as war heroes. Their actions that day were deemed to be a turning point in the war that helped push the German lines back. They were each awarded the Silver Star for Gallantry and when they arrived home they returned to Holly Springs to a parade in their honor. While Merle soaked in the praise and honor, Daryl just retreated even further inward. He would speak when spoken too, but that was it. Every single night he replayed those events over and over in his mind. He still saw the eyes of the dead man lying in front of him, felt the warmth of the blood and body parts that rained down on him, and smelled the scent of gunpowder and death each time he closed his eyes.**_

The dreams never got better, until he had met Alyssa. She was his comfort, and now he had given that away because he thought it was in her best interest. Tonight after the heavy drinking, and the mind games his father had played with him, the dreams came back in full force. Daryl's screams could be heard throughout the entire building and he had no one there to help him through it this time.

…

Merle was driving North looking for Daryl in the same blinding rainstorm when he was met with the roadblock that Daryl had faced. Merle realized that Daryl would either of had to turn around and head back to Holly Springs, or gotten a motel room in Jasper. Since Daryl hadn't shown back up at the house, he opted to go to Jasper and check out the local motel. Through the pouring rain he spotted Daryl's truck. Merle didn't know a lot, but he did know his brother and his gut had told him Daryl would head North, and his hunch had paid off.

Merle parked the truck and went into the front office to inquire about what room Daryl was staying in. The young desk clerk was reluctant to give Merle any information about Daryl's information as a guest until Merle slipped the guy a twenty dollar bill. It's amazing how much someone would divulge when cash was being waved around. The guy gave Merle a second room key and Merle ran through the rain down to the room that his brother had booked for the evening. Merle was still a good thirty feet away when he heard the tell tale signs of his brother having a nightmare. He could tell by the screams and the pounding that this was what Merle always called a category three nightmare.

The older brother shoved the key in the door and opened it up to find Daryl laying in the fetal position in the room. He was screaming out the three names that he had repeated over and over for the past twenty years…Louis… Charlie… James. The nightmares seemed to have subsided over the past few months since Daryl had begun to date Alyssa, but now it seemed that the dreams had come back with a vengeance. The hotel room was in a disaster, and Merle caught sight of a nearly empty jar of Moonshine.

"Damnit Daryl." He said to himself.

Merle rushed to his brother's side and slid down to the floor to be near to him. Daryl must have sensed someone's presence because he immediately began to swing wildly while screaming something about a "fucking Kraut." Merle grabbed his brother's arms to keep from getting hit and Daryl struggled against him.

"Daryl…Daryl wake up." Merle said softly. He remembered how Alyssa had brought Daryl out of his nightmare the last time and tried to repeat the actions.

Daryl was whimpering in fear and Merle continued to speak calmly to his brother. "Daryl, come on baby brother, wake up…It's Merle."

Merle could feel the tension in Daryl's body lessen but he was still fighting. The smell of sweat and alcohol was rolling off of Daryl and Merle knew that drinking always made his brother's nightmare's worse.

"Daryl come back to me bro…you're safe. Ole Merle is here with you…you ain't out there no more Daryl. It's the past and you need to wake up and you'll see…trust me Daryl." Merle pleaded.

Daryl's struggling became less and less and Merle realized that Daryl was finally coming out of his dream. Daryl's blue eyes opened up and he looked relieved to see it was Merle that had him enveloped in a brotherly hug.

"Merle?" Daryl slurred out.

"Yup…the one and only. You're a fucking mess little brother." Merle said as only Merle could.

Daryl looked around and startled when he didn't immediately recognize his surroundings. Merle must have sensed Daryl's slight panic. "Look's like you got yourself a room in Jasper after the road washed out. We're in a motel room."

Daryl tried to pull out of Merle's grasp and get himself up off the floor, but he was still very drunk and when he attempted to stand he stumbled and fell back down.

"Fuck Merle, I'm sorry." Daryl said in one of the most pitiful voices Merle had ever heard.

"Ain't no need to be sorry Daryl. We can fix all of this." Merle assured him.

"Fix it how? I got blood on my hands Merle…That ain't never gonna change." Daryl said in a defeated voice.

"Bullshit baby brother." Merle said emphatically and Daryl looked at him with anger.

"It ain't bullshit. It's the God Damn truth. I got them all killed…I panicked and I froze. Daddy was right. I wasn't nothing but a fucking coward who tried to run the first time I was in combat. If Louis hadn't been worrying about me and looking forward like he was supposed to he wouldn't have tripped that mine and them boys would still be alive." Daryl shouted.

"You don't know that Daryl. Who's to say that they wouldn't have been shot and killed out there in No Man's land before y'all ever made it to the trench? What we did that day despite what happened to them boys changed things in the war. It wasn't just us Dixon's, but what you and I did inspired our troops to push forward, and as a result of what happened, we opened up them lines. Don't you see Daryl, you have no way of knowing if what happened was because of you or not." Merle said in an emphatic tone that shut Daryl's retort down.

Daryl just hung his head and Merle noticed tears hitting the floor. Merle was heartbroken seeing his baby brother so lost and hurt. This had been the pain and guilt Daryl had been carrying with him for the past twenty years and it seemed he was incapable of letting it go. It was then that Merle did something very uncharacteristic of himself. He lovingly wrapped his arms around Daryl and pulled his brother to his chest in a warm embrace.

"Shhh baby brother. You don't need to carry this with you anymore. What happened was a long time ago. You don't need to bare the pain no longer. Whatever it was that daddy said to you was a lie, you and I both know that man can't tell the truth to save his life. He might have biologically fathered you, but it was me that raised you and I think you turned into a damn fine man. You're a Dixon, and Dixon's are strong Daryl. You can get through this and you will. You gotta put the past in the past and focus on your future." Merle said in a tender and loving voice as he stroked his brother's hair and let Daryl cry into his chest. Daryl needed this, and Merle wasn't going to let his brother down.

"Merle, why do I gotta be such a fuck up?" Daryl whispered.

"You ain't Daryl. The only thing you are guilty of is caring about people. That ain't such a bad trait to have. You always put others needs before yours and somehow you have lost yourself by doing that. You've finally got a chance at happiness and I ain't gonna let you throw it away." Merle told his brother, his own voice quivering as he fought back his own tears. Daryl had blamed himself for everything bad that happened to everyone in his life…he even blamed himself for being conceived and Merle finally realized this was the reason Daryl was so emotionally broken.

"I can't marry Alyssa Merle, You see what happens to everyone I'm close too…they die." Daryl confessed.

"All of us are gonna die one day Daryl. Whether you live a hundred years or you drop dead tonight, people are gonna die. You ain't got nothing to do with that. I will tell you this though, if you leave Alyssa, you are going to destroy her. The woman just lost everything she had in this world and she ain't got no one else. She loves you and wants to marry you, and if you take that away from her she ain't gonna have nothing but a broken heart. Do you hear me?" Merle asked Daryl.

Daryl pulled slowly out of his brother's arms and gave him a nod of affirmation.

"So does that mean you have come to your senses and you are going to stick to your promise and marry that woman tomorrow?" Merle asked.

And then, by some miracle, Daryl looked at his brother and gave him a small, but visible smile. "Yeah, if she is crazy enough to love me, then I guess I owe her that."

"Daryl, you don't owe her a debt…you love her and she makes you happy. It's about time you get to experience that. Besides, Beth is gonna feel a whole lot better leaving our little one with his Uncle and Aunt to take care of on occasion." Merle said as he let out a small laugh.

"Thanks Merle. I don't say it much, but I love you brother." Daryl told him.

"Course you do. There ain't much not to love about good ole Merle. And for what its worth, I love you too, but don't tell anyone." Merle said as he then gave Daryl a friendly slap on the back.

Merle helped Daryl up and Daryl made it about three steps before he was running to the bathroom to puke. Merle teased him a bit, but did take pity on him as well.

"Shit, I promised Alyssa I wouldn't drink no more." Daryl said.

"Well she don't need to know about this, and if she suspects something we'll tell her we did a little toast to the end of your bachelor-hood. She doesn't need to know anything at all about what happened today. We'll just chock it up to pre-marriage jitters." Merle said trying to smooth over the situation.

"I don't think I can drive back to the farm tonight." Daryl admitted.

"Well then it looks like we're going to be spending your last night as a free man together don't it now." Merle said.

"Merle, thanks for all of this. I almost made the biggest damn mistake of my life." Daryl told him.

"Yeah, but you didn't." Merle reassured him.

Merle helped to get Daryl into the bed so he could sleep off the effects of the alcohol and then he made a call to Beth.

"Merle, did you find him?" Beth asked when she answered the phone.

"I did, he's a mess, but he's gonna be just fine. We don't need to let Alyssa or anyone else know about this…OK." Merle told his wife.

"I promise, I won't say a word, I'm just glad you found him and talked some sense into him." She told him.

"That makes two of us. Goodnight sweetie, I love you and I'll see you first thing in the morning." He promised her.

"Goodnight Merle…Me and the little one already miss you." She said and it made Merle's heart swell with happiness. He hoped that Daryl would experience the same joy he had lucked out to find in his life.

…

The next morning Daryl was a feeling a little bit rough, but he would survive. Merle gave the Desk Clerk a hundred dollars to cover the damage to the room and then the two brothers headed back home. Daryl seemed in better spirits than Merle had seen him in a long time and he let out a deep sigh of relief. Finally, Daryl was going to get something good in life, and that made Merle almost as happy as he felt when he married Beth and found out he was going to be a father.

I know- It was long…sorry. I tried to give a good detail of what Daryl re-lived in his head as a result of what he saw on the battlefield. I hope it didn't bore you.

 **Next Chapter- Finally we get these two married. I'm building up my courage to write the smut properly.**

 **Please let me know what you think about this chapter and how you feel the story is going. I have done tons of research to make this as accurate as possible.**

 **I wanna give a big shout out to my reviewers for the last chapter:**

 **.2016**

 **JeanF**

 **Lillyloup**

 **ArcheryLefty**

 **MissOctober13**

 **I truly hope to hear from more of you.**

 **Take Care and I hope each of you had a great Holiday.**

 **Missy  
XXOO**

.

Merle goes and finds Daryl truck at a motel in Jasper GA- Slips clerk a 20 to get Daryl's room number and a key. Wakes Daryl from his nightmare. Talks sense into him.


	16. Chapter 16

**Hey Y'all…it's been a while. Happy 2017- WARNING: SMUT (finally) and explicit racist language.**

Once Merle and Daryl arrived back in Holly Springs Merle headed home and Daryl headed towards the barber shop to get his haircut and a clean shave. Daryl felt like hell, but considering what he almost threw away, he wasn't complaining. If it hadn't been for Merle finding him he didn't know what would have happened.

After Daryl left the barber shop he walked towards his truck and was surprised to hear his name called, and even more surprised to see who called it. It was none other than Philip Blake and his wife Andrea and another blonde that looked like a younger version of Andrea

"Daryl, I heard congratulations are in order for you and Dr. Cambridge." Blake said with a bright smile that didn't quite meet his eyes.

"Yeah, where did you hear that?" Daryl challenged in a bit too grumpy voice. He still had a massive headache leftover from his shenanigans from the night before.

"I saw your Pa and he told me you were marrying the young doctor. It's really such a shame what happened to her and her practice. Have they found out who did it to her?" Blake asked. Andrea gave a quick glance to Daryl and then looked at the ground.

When the hell would Will Dixon be having conversations with Dr. Philip Blake? That seemed very strange to Daryl, and why was Blake inquiring about whether or not they had found out who was behind Alyssa's accident? It was a small town, if they had caught the perpetrator then everyone would know.

"They don't know nothing…do you?" Daryl questioned.

"No, not at all…if I did I would say something." Blake replied looking Daryl in the eyes. Daryl caught a glint of something and it didn't sit right with him, but he had too much going on right now to pursue it.

"Daryl I can't wait to see the ring you gave Alyssa. Everyone in town is talking about it. By the way, this is my sister Amy." Andrea said trying to deflect Daryl's obvious suspicions away from her husband.

"Hello Daryl, nice to meet you. Such a shame that I meet you only to find out you are off the market. Andrea said you purchased your betrothed a Tiffany ring…she's a lucky girl." The little blonde said to him in a manner that made him feel more than a little uncomfortable.

"Yeah, maybe she'll show it to ya. I gotta go." Daryl said abruptly and he walked away. The last thing he needed was some little doe eyed blonde trying to cause conflict between him and Alyssa. He had seen her type before and knew she was trouble.

Once Daryl was out of sight Andrea turned to her husband "You've got to be a bit more careful Philip. Daryl might be unstable, but he isn't stupid. If he connects his father to you, then your plans for the future could be in jeopardy."

"Don't worry about any of the Dixon's, they will not be a problem, and if they do become one, I'll handle it." He told her in a tone that let her know he meant business.

Then Amy spoke up with a devious smile " If you need me to run a distraction for him, I'd be more than willing to volunteer. He might be simple, but he's obviously got money and that makes him more attractive."

Andrea looked at her sister like she had lost her mind, but Philip looked at her like she had just given him a gift. "I'll take that under advisement sweetheart."

…

Daryl drove back to the farm with his stomach fluttering. It wasn't sickness from consuming too much alcohol, but it was excitement for what the day would bring. In a few hours he would be a married man and then he and Alyssa would be celebrating with their family and close friends. Afterwards…well he couldn't let himself think about that right this moment.

Before he went to Merle and Beth's house he did something he hadn't done in years. He parked the truck and headed out to the back part of the family property and stopped by the cemetery. The graves that held his mother, Jess and Hannah's deceased children, and his grandparents brought up rough times from his past. Someone had been taking care of the graves and he was pretty sure it was Hannah. She had such a good and caring heart and it would be just like her to do something like that.

He walked over to his mother's grave and sat down beside it. Daryl ran his hand across the headstone and took in a deep breath. One of the first things he ever did when he had money was replaced the old wooden cross with a beautiful marble headstone. It was the least he could do for the woman he had loved so dearly and he realized that this was the first time he had actually been back out to the cemetery and seen the monument. This was a hard place for him to visit.

It took Daryl a moment to compose himself, but when he did he began to speak to his mother. He felt strange doing this but for some odd feeling this is where he still felt his mother's presence.

"Momma, I know you've been gone for a long time, but you haven't been forgotten. I still love you as much today as I did when I was four years old. Thought I'd stop by and tell ya I'm getting married today. You would really love her if you met her Momma. She's as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside and she loves me…even as broken as I am, she truly loves me. I wish so much you could be here to meet her, but I reckon God had other plans for ya. There's something else Momma- Merle, he made me realize something last night…maybe everything ain't my fault. Maybe there really wasn't anything I could have done to save you…or to save them boys. Of course, Daddy still thinks I'm worthless and that everything is my fault, but Merle pointed out that Daddy ain't hardly ever right about anything. For the first time in a long time I feel free Momma. Things are gonna change for me and I'm gonna make you real proud.

Don't know if Merle told you or not, but he's gonna be a daddy and I'm gonna be an uncle. Your first Grandbaby Momma…and with any luck maybe Alyssa and I will be adding to the family too real soon. Yeah, never thought I had a chance or even wanted a baby, but since I've been with Alyssa I want nothing more. I think for the first time since ya left me…I'm happy. Real happy."

Daryl sat there for a few minutes not saying anything else. He didn't lie…after the shit he pulled last night, and his talk with Merle, it seemed like he finally realized he couldn't control everything, and wasn't responsible for every bad damn thing that happened to him. Life was cruel, and sometimes it wasn't fair, but Daryl now knew it could also be kind and forgiving. If he couldn't forgive himself, than how could anyone else? People made mistakes and bad shit happened, that was just how things happened. He didn't need to drag all of his misgivings into this new life he was about to embark upon with Alyssa. Daryl Dixon was a new man today, and he was going to spend the rest of his life trying to work on focusing on the good, not dwelling on the bad.

…

Hannah, Clarissa, and Jess arrived at the hospital two hours before they needed to get Alyssa to the courthouse. Jess had been more or less dragged there, but when Hannah asked you to do something, you did it, no questions asked. While the women worked diligently on getting Alyssa dressed for her wedding, Jess took all of the belongings that Alyssa had accumulated over the past couple of weeks and carried them to the truck. He knew his nephew had provided most of the items and a little surge of pride welled in Jess. Daryl had been so introverted that Jess didn't think it was possible that the man would ever be able to fully give himself to another individual, and now, his nephew who he almost thought of like a son was soon going to be married. Daryl deserved this happiness, and Jess was ecstatic that his nephew had finally found it, just as Merle had found it with Beth.

After Jess had left to take Alyssa's items to the truck Hannah had encouraged him to take a little extra time and maybe go over to the diner across the street from the hospital and enjoy a cup of coffee. The women needed the extra time and Jess was just going to be in the way. He didn't argue with his wife since he didn't have any clue what women did together when preparing a bride for a wedding, but he was sure that a man like himself would be left there feeling awkward and out of place.

Jess walked up to the counter in the diner and took a seat. He had no sooner placed his order for a coffee and a bowl of grits when he heard his name spoken, by someone he definitely did not want to see on such a happy day. It was Will and he had his red haired companion with him.

"Well, well younger brother, fancy seeing you here in Canton. Can't particularly say I'm overjoyed to be in your presence." Will taunted.

"Will…not now." The red haired woman warned.

"Sorry Jess. This lovely lady is trying to improve my social graces." Will said trying to hold his tongue.

"Good luck. Are you done? I don't really feel like having a conversation with you today. Don't you have some rally or something to attend…or some people to threaten?" Jess said without thinking. He knew without a doubt that Will had everything to do with the fire in town and at Alyssa's, as well as the death of Mike, but he had no way of proving it.

Will didn't say a word, fighting hard to hold back the urge to punch his younger brother. Paula must have sensed it because she firmly placed her hand on Will's upper arm, keeping him in check.

"You must have me confused with someone else." Will replied in a snarky term.

Jess just let out a sarcastic laugh "Yeah, right."

The intrigue that had originally been in Will's eyes now had turned to anger, but Paula's hand was still holding firm to his arm, so he bit back any retort he had wanted to reply with. "So I assume you are here today for the wedding?"

"Actually I am. Unlike you I actually give a shit about your sons and I've taken it upon myself to step into the role you should have taken on a long time ago. They are both actually happy for once, and you staying out of their lives will only make it better." Jess said in a matter of fact tone.

"Keep telling yourself that Jess. It was me that made them men…or at least tried to. Merle, he turned out pretty damn good, though I here he's been drinking the holy water now that he's with that little blonde that Hershel Greene spit out. But Daryl, that boy ain't never been right and ain't never gonna be. Wouldn't be surprised if he fucks this thing up like he does everything else he touches." Will said through gritted teeth.

"Don't think so Will. Despite all the hell you put him through he still turned into a good man. And how the hell can call him a fuck up when he just gave you a shit load of cash for that house that was just as much his as it was yours. Daryl is a lot tougher than you give him a credit, but since you never took an interest in your youngest son you wouldn't know that." Jess said.

"Whatever. Maybe I might just drop in and pay my respects to the happy couple." Will said.

"I don't think that is a wise decision Will. He doesn't need you in his life." Jess said hoping like hell that for once his older brother would listen to reason.

That was when both men were surprised when Paula spoke. "I don't think that's your call Mr. Dixon. Will did the best he could with the circumstances he was put in. He has every right to see his sons and if he wants to call on them, then he certainly can."

Will couldn't help but smile…for once he had a woman who had his back. She was strong and fiery and someone who saw the world the same way he did.

"I'm just advising you Will…it won't end well." Jess said as he dropped the money on the counter to cover his check and walked out.

"We'll see." Was all Will had to say as his brother walked out of the diner back towards the hospital.

…

While Jess was gone, Hannah and Clarissa worked diligently with Alyssa getting her ready. Hannah could tell that Alyssa was still self-conscious about the scarring on the right side of her body. Though it was healing nicely, it still was visible. Therefore she decided to pull Alyssa's hair over to the right and let her chocolate curls cascade over her shoulder, holding the hair to the side with pearl hair pins. She also provided Alyssa with a pair of long satin finger-less gloves that covered most of her arms with the exception of a few inches below the capped sleeves of Alyssa's wedding dress.

Clarissa helped Alyssa with her makeup (Jess and Hannah were still adamant that Clarissa was much too young to wear makeup, but they allowed her to wear some rouge and lipstick for this special occasion) and was proud of the finished results. Everything was perfect, even down to the satin and pearl shoes that Clarissa had picked out with the help of her mother. Hannah had leant Alyssa a pearl choker and pearl teardrop earrings to match the tiny pearls on the dress and shoes to finish off the look. By the time they were done with getting Alyssa dressed you would have never guessed she had come so close to death just a few weeks earlier. The final approval of their work was completed when Jess returned and gasped at the beautiful bride.

"Daryl isn't going to be able to speak when he sees you Alyssa. You look breathtaking." The man said, trying to hold back tears of joy. Jess was not normally an overly emotional man, but seeing Alyssa dressed as Daryl's bride touched him in ways he never thought he could feel. This was the life that Daryl should have been living- not the dark world he had been hidden in for so many years. He only hoped that Will had heard his warning earlier and would stay away from Daryl in the future.

"Thank you Jess, and I'm ecstatic that you are filling in for my Daddy and giving me away. It means more than you know. I already feel like all of y'all are family, and today will just make it official." Alyssa said as tears began to slip down her cheeks.

Hannah herself was feeling emotional, and took a deep breath "Now Alyssa sweetie, we can't have you tearing up and ruining your make-up, not until you are Mrs. Daryl Dixon. So lets all take a moment and gather ourselves together. It's gonna be a big day!"

Alyssa nodded wordlessly and then the four of them headed down to the truck to meet Daryl and the others at the courthouse. Within the hour Alyssa would be the newest member of the Dixon clan.

…

When they arrived at the courthouse, Hannah and Clarissa headed in first to check to make sure Beth, Merle, and Daryl had already arrived. It didn't take her long to find Merle and Beth watching Daryl nervously walk back and forth outside of the judges chambers while chewing on his thumb. She had to stifle a laugh as Daryl was exhibiting his typical behavior when he was nervous.

"Daryl, your bride is here, are you ready for this?" Hannah asked.

"He was born ready for this." Merle responded for his baby brother. Beth reached out and put a steadying hand on Daryl's shoulder, signaling for him to stop his pacing and to get himself under control.

Once he had stopped Hannah took a good look at her nephew. He was such a handsome man and to see him cleaned up and in a suit there was no doubt that Daryl and Alyssa were a beautiful couple. Daryl had his hair cut short and was clean shaven, which was a rarity for the rugged man. He had on a pair of tan slacks and matching jacket, a blue shirt, and a blue and tan striped tie. His patent leather dress shoes looked brand new and Hannah was sure she had never seen Daryl wear them before. She even caught a whiff of after shave and couldn't help but smile.

"My oh My Daryl, you look like a dream. I think you are going to be pleasantly surprised when you see your future wife. I'm going to get everyone else, so you three head inside and we'll see you in a moment." Hannah told him, but not before she wrapped her nephew into a hug and whispered in his ear "You deserve this Daryl…no matter what you never forget that."

Daryl hugged her back and then gave her a nod of affirmation as she left to go get the others. The clerk came over and told them it was time for them to go in and Daryl and Merle headed up to the front of the courtroom where Judge Reginald Monroe stood waiting for them. Beth took a seat on the front bench and soon she was joined by Clarissa and Hannah.

When Jess entered the room escorting Alyssa, Daryl felt the breath leave his body. Alyssa had always been the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, but when he saw her in her wedding attire he couldn't even blink. She looked like an angel decked out in the white dress. Her hair was swept to one side and there wasn't one part of her that didn't look perfect. Even Merle took a small gasp when he saw her. He looked over to Beth, who was already tearing up when she saw her soon to be sister in law.

"Breathe baby brother…you ain't gonna be able to get hitched if you pass out from a lack of oxygen." The older brother told the younger man.

Daryl then whispered to Merle "I ain't never seen nothing that beautiful before, and she's marrying me."

"Yeah, we'll have her tested later on to see if she's sane, but for now get a hold of yourself." Merle whispered back to Daryl.

Jess proudly escorted Alyssa up to the front of the courtroom and took her hand and placed it in Daryl's. Both Daryl and Alyssa were on the verge of tears when Judge Monroe spoke up.

"Well it seems it wasn't that long ago that I was marrying Merle and Beth, and now it looks like I get the privilege of joining the younger Dixon and his lovely bride in marriage as well. Are you both ready?" The kind judge asked.

Both nodded and Judge Monroe began the ceremony. "OK, Just repeat what I say and this will be official in no time. Now I like to do my vows a little bit different, so are you ready?" Daryl and Alyssa both nodded

"I, Daryl Earl Dixon, take you, Alyssa Lynn Cambridge, to be no other than yourself. Loving what I know of you, trusting what I do not yet know, I will respect your integrity and have faith in your abiding love for me, through all our years, and in all that life may bring us."

Daryl repeated each sentence as Judge Monroe guided him through, as if his life depended on it. Then it was Alyssa's turn. She could barely speak because of all the emotion she was feeling, but she also repeated the words that Judge Monroe spoke

"I, Alyssa Lynn Cambridge, take you Daryl Earl Dixon as my husband, with your faults and your strengths, as I offer myself to you with my faults and my strengths. I will help you when you need help, and turn to you when I need help. I choose you as the person with whom I will spend the rest of my life." Alyssa looked so deeply into Daryl's eyes when she said her vows that he swore he could feel her physically touching his soul. She left no doubt how strongly she loved him and he felt his heart surge with reciprocated feelings for her.

After Alyssa spoke her vows, then the Judge turned to Daryl "Do you have the rings?"

Merle reached in his pocket and pulled out two gold bands and handed one to both Alyssa and Daryl. Daryl slipped his band onto Alyssa's small hand and Alyssa repeated the step with Daryl. When they both were done then Judge Monroe proudly announced "By the power invested in me by the State of Georgia and the County of Cherokee, I now present to you Mr. and Mrs. Daryl Dixon. You may kiss your bride."

Daryl didn't have to think twice as he pulled his new bride to him and firmly placed his lips on hers. Never in a million years would he have considered sharing such a personal moment publicly, but he had just married the most glorious creature that God had ever created and he wasn't going to turn down a chance to claim her as his, even if it was just a kiss.

Alyssa gasped at Daryl's actions and at first he thought he hurt her "Oh God Alyssa, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you…I…"

"You didn't hurt me Daryl…I was just surprised that you actually kissed me in front of other people. You don't have to stop." She whispered in his ear.

"Sweetie, it's been two days since I saw you last and it feels like a lifetime. I can't wait to get you all to myself." He whispered back, causing Alyssa to give him a smile like he had never seen before.

"Just a few more hours Daryl." She said leaving him no doubt about her intentions later on.

After the kiss, everyone congratulated the new couple and then the Judge had everyone sign the appropriate paperwork making the marriage official. Once all the formalities were taken care of Daryl whisked Alyssa away to his truck and the group headed back to Hannah and Jess's home for the celebration.

…

Daryl and Alyssa had made it barely a mile down the road before Daryl pulled the truck over and grabbed Alyssa and pulled her body to him. He kissed her passionately for the first time in weeks and Alyssa was left breathless by the fervor he put into the kiss.

"Daryl" She rasped out as he reluctantly let her ease out of his passionate embrace.

"Sorry, I couldn't resist. Wish we didn't have to go to this party." He mumbled.

"Come on Daryl, everyone wants to celebrate with us, and I think we owe them that. Besides, I'm yours now for the rest of our lives. We'll have plenty of time together…just the two of us." She practically purred to him.

"Alright…It's just been way too long since we've been together alone outside of the hospital. I'm gonna lock us away for a month after this party today. I'm gonna show you just how much I love you." Daryl told her, causing Alyssa to blush at the implications of Daryl's words.

"I'm gonna hold you to that." Alyssa said as she placed a final kiss on his lips. She may have said it with confidence, but deep down she was both excited and scared about what would be taking place later on in the day. She felt a flutter in her stomach and she wasn't sure if it was fear or anticipation, but one way or another she would know by this time tomorrow.

…

They newlyweds arrived about thirty minutes after everyone else had and Merle damn near had a heart attack. "What the hell boy? Thought y'all were lying dead by the side of the road. I almost had Old Rick here put out an APB for y'all." Merle teased as they came in the door.

"Just wanted to drive real careful with my new bride." Daryl said without letting on that he and Alyssa had made a little pit stop along the way.

Maggie was the first to grab Daryl and wrap him into a hug "Just ignore my brother in law Daryl. We're all just glad we can celebrate this day with you."

"Thanks Maggie, it means a whole lot to me and Alyssa that you and Glenn are here with us." Daryl said. He had never been one to thrive in social situations, but he had known Maggie all of her life and even though she hadn't been happy to gain Merle as a brother in law at first, she had learned to accept him and dare he say love him as well. The Greene's were good people and they were all here at Jess and Hannah's celebrating his wedding.

Along with the Greene's, Rosita and Shane had come by, along with Rick, Michonne, and the kids (Carl and Clarissa had agreed to watch Andre and Judith upstairs while the adults celebrated), and of course Merle and Beth.

Annette and the other women had provided a large spread of food. There was quite the buffet laid out on the table that had been covered with a white lace table cloth. Jess had stayed up all night smoking venison and pheasant as the main course for the meal that would be served. The women had made potatoes, macaroni and cheese, several different vegetables, breads, sauces, and different deserts. On one table stood a beautiful, but simple wedding cake that Maggie had made with her mother the day before. No one was going to go home hungry after this party.

Alyssa felt herself overwhelmed with tears on more than one occasion on this day. The final and most touching moment came when she and Daryl walked over to a table that had several wrapped wedding gifts placed on it. That was when Alyssa saw something that she never thought she would see again…It was a photo of her parents sitting on the steps of their farm, holding Alyssa as an infant. Beside the photo was Alyssa's mother's bible. As tears slid down her cheeks she turned to Daryl with a questioning look on her face.

"Second floor of the house didn't burn and a few things survived. I found a metal box that had the photos and the bible." He told her.

She didn't say a word but simply stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Daryl and buried her face in the crook of his neck all while trying to get her emotions in check. Even though they were with a group of people, it was a truly intimate moment between the new couple. It seemed everyone else had been preoccupied at that moment with either good conversation or preparing a plate to enjoy the food that had been presented. Daryl held onto Alyssa and stroked her back gently, still cognizant of her healing wounds.

"Daryl, this day has been perfect." She told him.

"We've still got tonight." He whispered in her ear and suddenly all of the nervousness that she had been struggling with all day went away. Tonight she would be his completely, and there wasn't anything she wanted to give him more than herself.

"I love you." She said as he pulled her into a tighter embrace.

Apparently while Daryl and Alyssa were having their moment Milton had arrived to pay his respects to the couple. Alyssa looked surprised but happy to see that her friend decided to stop by as she had asked.

"You look lovely Alyssa…I just hope you keep in mind that you are still injured." He told her as Daryl stood beside her with his arm gently wrapped around her waist.

"Oh Milton, you need to stop worrying so much, I am absolutely fine thanks to you." She told the doctor. Daryl was thankful to Milton for providing such great care to Alyssa, but there was something odd about the doctor that made him feel like he needed to keep his guard up around the man. The way he looked at Alyssa sometimes was just a bit too friendly, and Daryl didn't have enough experience in social situations to know whether or not he should be concerned.

"It was my pleasure to treat you…we will always be friends and I hope you remember that." He told her.

"I won't Milton. You've always been there for me in the past. Now go fix yourself some food and enjoy the party." She told him. And with that the man made his way to the buffet table, stopping and speaking with Hershel and Rick on the way. Alyssa never caught on to the quick glances of her that he would steal as he watched her from across the room.

Milton didn't want to be here, but it gave him a chance to be near Alyssa just for a little while longer. The thoughts of what she was going to be doing with that feral beast in a few hours were consuming him, but he couldn't let on. He couldn't quite place when exactly he fell in love with the young doctor, but what started out as a simple friendship was now a completely consuming obsession with her. He would wait patiently for Alyssa to realize her mistake, and when she did, he would be there to help her pick up the pieces. However, if an opportunity came along for him to discreetly point out that she had married beneath herself, then who was he to not take advantage of helping his friend see the light?

The afternoon was turning into evening and it seemed that the celebration for Daryl and Alyssa was still going strong. The cake had been cut and people were working on second helpings of food while the radio played big band music in the background on the family radio. As Daryl and Alyssa mingled with the guests he seemed to always have some sort of contact with his new wife. Whether it was an arm wrapped around her waist, or a hand on her elbow, he felt he never wanted to let her go. He knew it wasn't a realistic feeling, but as long as she would allow him to keep this physical contact with her, he would.

Milton was the first to leave, as he needed to go cover his shift at the hospital. By now Carl and Clarissa had come back downstairs to join the celebration allowing a rambunctious Andre to run around and interact with everyone while Judith slept in Clarissa's old bassinet. As good of a time as everyone was having, Daryl was looking forward to getting back to his house for the first time in a week and finally spending alone time with Alyssa. Everyone was so caught up in the party that they didn't hear the front door open nor did they notice the arrival of an uninvited guest. Will Dixon had decided to crash the party after all and had brought Paula along for good measure.

"Well, Well- Look at the Happy couple." The man said as he entered into the dining area where everyone was congregating.

Daryl looked away from Alyssa, but pulled her close to him. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. Why on earth would his father be here? Oh yeah, he wanted to ruin this moment in his life like he had with all of Daryl's other happy moments in life. Bastard.

Rick immediately stepped forward from the corner he was standing in while having a conversation with Rosita and Shane, and Shane followed. "Will, I believe it would be best if you left now before any trouble starts."

Jess quickly spoke up "You heard him Will, this is my home and you are not welcome here."

Paula then spoke up to defend Will "William has a right to be here to celebrate this joyous occasion with his son. He is a good man and you all refuse to believe he can change."

Merle then retorted "William…as you call him, ain't here to do nothing but stir shit up. If you believe for one minute he is a changed man, then you are sadly mistaking." Beth looked up at Merle like he was the Messiah…she loved how he always would come to his young brother's defense, and how Will never once intimidated him.

Will raised his hands in mock surrender "Whoa, I ain't here to stir up nothing. I just wanted to drop by and offer my best wishes to my son and new daughter in law." And with that Will walked over to Daryl and Alyssa and grabbed Alyssa into an unwanted hug.

Daryl quickly but gently removed his wife from his father's embrace and then grabbed his father by the collar "Don't you EVER lay hands on my wife again." The only thing keeping Daryl from punching his father was the fact that now Rick and Merle were holding Daryl back while Jess and Shane were in the process of hauling Will out the front door.

Will still taunted his younger son as he was being hauled away "Don't fool yourself boy, you are just like me. When you have kids of your own you will see that you have to keep a firm hand on them or they will turn out weak…obviously I didn't keep a firm enough hand on you."

Daryl tried like hell to get out of Merle and Rick's grasp, but Alyssa stopped him from struggling "Daryl, just let him go…he' not worth it."

Apparently Paula didn't like what Alyssa had to say "Oh you people are such fools. Will wants all of us to live in a much better world than this place we live in now. Do you see who you have here with you?" She said pointing at Michonne. "Nigger's have no place in our world, and you let them come into your house while letting their children run around your house like they are equals? You will see the light one day and realize that the only thing they are good for is cleaning the shit out of your toilet. You are truly sad and mislead people."

Alyssa didn't take kindly to the lies Paula was spouting out "You listen to me Paula…first of all you and that animal you are dating are NEVER welcome here on this land again, and second of all…It's you who have been mislead. Bigotry will never win out and the day will come when you will need help from someone who looks different than you, and I hope and pray that you have to beg to receive that help. NOW GET OUT!"

After Will and Paula were "escorted" out of the house, it seemed the joyful mood had worn off. Alyssa was working diligently on trying to calm Daryl down, and though it was a struggle, he got his breathing under control and had stopped clenching and unclenching his fist. He was beyond angry with his father, but he realized that if he kept dwelling on it, then Will would have accomplished what he wanted too.

"Baby I'm sorry for acting like that in front of you." He whispered to her.

"Don't be…I wanted to punch him too." She said causing him to laugh a little.

"Not sure I could imagine you doing that, but I'd love to see it." He replied.

"Yeah…believe it or not, I have a breaking point too. You know, I'm getting really tired and if you wouldn't mind, I think it might be time to leave." She said.

And with that, Daryl announced that they would be on their way. Even though the mood had been darkened by Will's presence, everyone understood that the couple probably wanted to have their privacy. As they left to go back to Daryl's house, everyone hugged them while offering words of encouragement.

Merle took the time to pull Daryl to the side "You be patient and gentle with that lady right there tonight. If she is hurting, then don't push her…even I can see how tired she is. Daryl you got the rest of your life together, so it doesn't have to be tonight if she ain't up to it."

"Thanks Merle, I wouldn't ever do that to her. I'd wait ten years if I had too, but I appreciate your concern. And Merle…thanks for everything. If it wasn't for you I ain't real sure today would have happened." Daryl said to his older brother.

"I didn't do nothing you wouldn't do. Take care and I'll see you later on." Merle said as he clapped Daryl on the shoulder and walked with him over to Alyssa. Merle gave his new sister in law a gentle hug and then the couple waved their final good-byes and headed home.

…

Daryl and Alyssa drove the short distance over to Daryl's house and Daryl parked the truck. "Stay here for a minute and I'm gonna carry your things in the house. Don't move…OK?"

"OK." She said. It gave her a moment to think about the events over the past few weeks. Her home had burned and her practice had burned along with it. The night of the fire she had a major argument with Daryl, and immediately had regretted that the fight had ensued in the first place. The only reason it had was because she had been exhausted and whiny and didn't construe her thoughts to Daryl properly. The good news was that Daryl had realized it and if he hadn't returned to her home when he did, she would have died that night. Daryl was her savior that night, and she would spend the rest of her days offering him up thanks for what he had done.

He visited her every single day except yesterday while she convalesced at the hospital, bought her the most exquisite engagement ring she had ever seen, and doted on her like she was a queen. But none of the material items mattered, what mattered was that he loved her unconditionally, and she felt the same with him. She giggled to herself thinking about how nervous she had been earlier in the day thinking about what would most likely take place in just a little while. Why would she need to be nervous? This was something very normal and intimate that all married couples did, and obviously it couldn't be all bad when she thought about all the families she knew that had multiple children. Even Beth and Hannah had told her it was a pleasurable experience, and Beth couldn't seem to get enough of Merle. The nerves that Alyssa had been suffering with earlier were now replaced with excitement. She would be Daryl's completely after tonight, and now she couldn't wait for him to get back out to the truck.

"Alright Mrs. Dixon…time to do this proper like" Daryl said as he scooped Alyssa up bridal style and carried her across the threshold of their home.

"Oh My Goodness Daryl, it looks amazing in here." She said as she took a look around at all the changes that had taken place since she had last been there.

"I can't take credit for that, it was all Hannah, Clarissa, and Beth. They thought it needed some womanly touches, and I can't lie, I think it looks damn good." Daryl told her.

Linen tablecloths, the scent of lavender in the air, and various framed photos were placed around the house. Daryl had started a fire in the fireplace, and had the radio on playing soft music. "I placed your things in my bedroom." He told her.

"Our bedroom Daryl. Where you go, I go from now on." She told him as she excitedly thought about the fact she could lay in Daryl's strong arms tonight.

"You wanna take a look around and see what they've done?" He asked her.

She nodded and they began to see all things that the women had done for them. First of all, the kitchen pantry was stocked up with all sorts of dried goods and canned vegetables and fruit. It was obvious that Daryl's pots and pans had been replaced with new top of the line pans, as well as all new utensils, cups and plates, and silverware.

"Daryl, did you see all of this?" She asked.

"Gonna have to do something special for them to repay their kindness." He told her, enjoying seeing her happiness.

There were new sheets and pillows on the bed as well as a new quilt (which had already been pulled back for them). The first thing Alyssa noticed was her jewelry box that she had been sure was lost in the fire. "How did this survive?" She asked Daryl.

"The top floor didn't burn, it collapsed, and this was in the ruins along with the photos and the bible. Wish I could say we found a lot more, but we didn't. All your clothes were ruined, and all of the furniture was crushed. We did find some of your medical equipment that survived, but I wasn't sure how usable it would be because of all the smoke damage. Merle's got it stored in his barn behind the house. When you are up to it, we can go through it and see if it is salvageable." He told her.

"Thank you for this Daryl…Thank you for everything. You know…when you're father said you were just like him…that wasn't true. You are nothing like that man and when we have a family I know you will be an incredible father. Don't you ever doubt that for one minute." She said as she gave him a soft kiss on the cheek.

"Maybe you need to keep reminding me of that." He told her.

"I will, every day I draw breath." She said and then it was his turn to pull her into an embrace and kiss her deeply and passionately. They both finally broke the kiss, gasping for air.

"Why don't show me what else has changed around here, and then I wanna take a bath." She told him, praying he would catch her hint. By the way he grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the room, she figured he had caught on quickly.

Daryl led Alyssa into the second bedroom and then started to speak "I don't know much about sewing machines or clothes or anything like that, so I had Glenn order what I thought you would like. If it ain't right we can take it back and get one that is better suited. I know you like to sew your own clothes, but if it ain't what you wanna do we can go to Atlanta and buy whatever you want. Beth thought these fabrics would be to your liking."

Alyssa was speechless. Daryl had purchased her a top of the line Singer sewing machine, and there were no less than fifteen bolts of fabric neatly stacked on the dresser in the guest room. Along with the sewing machine were threads, needles, thimbles, pins, buttons, dress patterns, as well as fabric lining and yards of varying different trim. She had appreciated the sewing basket that Daryl had picked out for her, but this array of items was just unbelievable.

"Daryl, this is…I can't even come up with words. This is more than enough to rebuild my wardrobe. With the items that you picked up for me and all of this fabric there will be no need at all to go to Atlanta. I can't even form words properly to tell you how much this means." She told him this as once again she embraced him. Then she gently took his face in her hands so that he was looking in her eyes.

"You are by far the most thoughtful and caring man I have ever met. I will spend the rest of my life thanking God that he put you here for me. I love you Daryl Earl Dixon." She said.

Daryl blushed at the attention, but did manage to mumble out "Ain't enough for everything you've done for me."

Alyssa smiled at him. She knew that no matter what she told him, he would never accept the praise from her, but that was OK, she would just to continue to show him how good of a man he actually was from this point forward.

"Daryl…I really, really want a bath and to wash my hair…do you think you could _**help**_ me?" It was a bold statement, but it was the best Alyssa could come up with to let Daryl know her intentions.

"Are you sure?" He asked nervously.

"More than sure." She purred.

"What about your injuries?" He inquired.

"As long as the water isn't too hot I will be fine. Besides, I may need you to help me get my clothes off." She said a bit more boldly. Daryl didn't have to be asked twice.

"Alright, you set the water temperature just how you want it and I will help you bathe." He told her.

Alyssa set the water temperature and then went into the room to grab her black silk robe Daryl had purchased for her. Beth had picked up a beautiful white embroidered nightgown for her, but Alyssa figured the robe would be enough for tonight. It was going to be pointless to get dressed after being naked in the tub with Daryl. While she prepared the bath Daryl made sure the house was secure and stoked the fire in the fireplace and added a few more logs to the fire. He figured he might be busy for the next few hours and the last thing he wanted to deal with was a cold house.

Daryl took a breath, and then he went into the bathroom to join his wife. Alyssa stood by the tub bathed in candlelight.

"You ready?" Daryl asked nervously.

Alyssa nodded and Daryl went over to her and placed his hands on each side of her shoulders. She looked at him longingly and he knew this was it. "You are going to join me…right?" She asked in a timid tone.

This time it was Daryl who nodded. He carefully helped her slip her wedding gown and the lace coverlet over her head, leaving her standing before him in nothing more than a white lace bra, panties, garter set and her pearl earrings and choker. She looked exquisite, hell she didn't even look real. He had to remember that a garment as fine as the one she wore today needed to be placed on the counter by the sink and not dropped to the floor.

Alyssa removed Daryl's tie and then unbuttoned his shirt, letting it fall to the floor. He then pulled his undershirt off while Alyssa unbuckled his belt. He slipped out of his pants and now the two of them were standing in front of each other clad only in their under garments. Alyssa turned around and Daryl unclasped her bra while she unclasped her garters. Daryl slid the garters and silk stockings down her smooth legs and then slipped off his boxers.

As he looked at her standing completely naked in front of him he felt a shiver pass over his body. She was his, and she was offering herself to him willingly. Alyssa pulled the pins from her hair and let it fall down her back, then slipped off her jewelry, and then she stood up on her toes and kissed Daryl passionately.

As she kissed him he pulled her body flush with his. There was no hiding his erection as it pressed against her belly, or the fact that her nipples were now pert and rubbing against his chest. Daryl walked them over to the tub and then broke the kiss. He stepped in first and then helped his new bride into the tub. He eased himself down against the porcelain and Alyssa slid down against his chest.

"Will you help me wash my hair?" She asked.

He reached for a water pitcher on the side of the tub and filled it up. He carefully bent her head back against him and began to slowly pour the warm water over her head, avoiding getting the water in her eyes. He then took the shampoo and worked a lather through her hair. She couldn't help but let out a moan at how good it felt to have him massaging her scalp the way he was.

"You like that?" He whispered.

"Mmmm" She replied.

After he washed and rinsed her hair she surprised him by spinning around and practically sitting in his lap. She didn't seem to be bothered by the fact he was harder than he had ever been in his entire life. Alyssa stared into his eyes and then she once again kissed him. She then pulled back and gave him a smile. She then grabbed the bar of soap on the side of tub and began to soap him up. When she was done, he returned the favor and then both of them dipped down into the deep water of the tub and allowed themselves to rinse off. Alyssa ran her fingers across Daryl's chest and now it was his time to moan. As if by instinct she slid a little closer into his lap to the point that his cock was now laying up against her woman hood. She wanted him badly, and there was no denying how badly he wanted her.

"Take me now." She commanded and with one motion he stood up in the tub while picking her up with him. She was kissing him and straddling him as he carried her out of the bathroom and gently placed her still wet body down on the bed.

"Alyssa look at me." He told her as he hovered above her.

She did as he asked "If I hurt you in anyway, you let me know and we will stop this. If you ain't ready I understand. Got it?" He asked her in a tone that let him know he was serious.

"Yes, and if I'm doing something wrong, please let me know." She replied in a soft voice.

"Ain't nothing you can do wrong darling. I ain't done this a lot in my life, but I know this is the first time I've ever done this with someone I love. We'll learn together." He said as he slid his mouth over hers and she parted her lips and accepted his tongue.

Daryl had his thigh placed between hers and began to run his hands over her stomach tentatively. He then moved his hands slowly up her torso and let his finger tips graze her breasts and then her nipples. Alyssa then let out a whimper of delight at the feel of his touch on her body. No man had ever touched her there, and with the feel of his body against her she couldn't but help arch her back and press herself into his caress.

Daryl then pulled his mouth from hers and began to pepper kisses lightly across her face and then down to her neck. The sensation forced Alyssa to move her body and grind herself against Daryl's thigh. She was becoming very aware of the fact that she now had an aching in between her thighs that needed to be satisfied. She had NEVER felt this way before physically and all she could think of was Beth telling her how amazing it felt. Now she finally saw what the fuss was about.

When Daryl moved his mouth and began to suck on her nipple she let out a soft "Oh" as his tongue teased the hardened flesh. He didn't think it was possible, but it seemed that her nipples hardened even more while he held them in his mouth.

Daryl smiled knowing he was the one responsible for the pleasure she was reacting too. His pleasure was evident as well and he knew if he didn't get a hold of himself this was going to be a very short experience. Daryl had next to no experience with how to orally pleasure a woman, but Merle had told him a thing or two throughout the years. Since he knew that if Alyssa barely touched his cock he would most likely come immediately, he pulled himself away from her.

"Daryl?" She questioned, looking disappointed at the loss of contact.

"Shhh….I got this babe. Just relax and let me enjoy you. I've never really done this before, but I wanna taste you." He said.

At first Alyssa tried to stop him. She didn't know much about sex, but she knew even less about oral sex and it wasn't something that women talked about. It was a taboo subject and for some reason Alyssa assumed that it was just something that never really happened. Sure, women provided oral gratification for men, but never a man for a woman.

"Daryl…is this normal?" She asked.

Daryl let out a small chuckle "Just lay back and if you don't like what I'm doing you just tell me and I will stop."

Alyssa took a breath and let Daryl have his way with her. At first she was a bit stiff and felt exposed with Daryl as he parted her legs and began to lay kisses across her belly. She felt his lips move down lower and felt the sensation of him placing kisses on the most intimate part of her body. Though her head was telling her this was something dirty, her body was telling her something else. She followed Daryl's advice and let herself relax. It didn't take but just a moment to start to feel the pleasure building in her like a fire as Daryl slid his tongue across her nub. His fingers were rubbing against her entrance as his tongue began to suck and lavish not only her clit, but along the walls of her folds.

Suddenly it was like what he was doing to her was not enough and she began to buck against his mouth. Alyssa was far from bold, but this feeling surging through her body was exquisite and addictive. She couldn't get enough. Daryl continued to work on her with his mouth while he slipped a finger inside of her.

"God Alyssa you are so tight baby." He whispered.

"Mmmm….Don't stop Daryl." Was all she could manage to get out. He wanted to work her up to the brink, and then he would finally take her as his. More than anything he needed her not to be nervous, and by the way she was bucking against him, she seemed to have passed that point.

Daryl now introduced a second finger so he could open her up a little bit more, and he could feel how slick she was for him. He pulled his mouth away from her womanhood, and almost instantly missed the taste of her sweetness. Alyssa was trying to rub herself against anything that would provide some sort of friction and offer her some sense of relief.

Daryl moved up and hovered over her again. "Darling, are you ready for this?"

"Oh God Yes" She practically begged for him.

He lined himself up with her opening and then asked "Should I pull out before I…?"

"No Daryl, whatever happens will happen." She told him.

Daryl knew that even though his body wanted to thrust full force into her, she wasn't ready for that. He was going to have to go slow and let her body adjust to him. He dreaded that fact that there would be some pain for her, but he also knew every woman went through this only once and then it was over with.

He slowly began to work himself inside of her and just the feel the warmth of her silky walls against the head of his cock almost set him off. He took a breath and gathered his senses and then began to concentrate on what he was doing. Alyssa seemed like she was trying to pull him in deeper and he realized she wanted to feel him rubbing against her nub. Very carefully, he pushed further and he felt a little resistance, and then it was gone. He knew the moment he broke through because he heard Alyssa gasp.

"Are you alright?" He asked in a concerned voice.

"Yes…it wasn't that bad." She told him.

He started a slow rhythm and she concentrated on following that rhythm with him. As he began to thrust a little faster and a little deeper, Alyssa seemed to be losing control of herself. She was placing her mouth on every part of his body she could reach…his neck, his chest, and finally his mouth. Instead of him now controlling the pace, she was working her body against his, pulling him into her deeper and deeper and relishing the feel of him rubbing against her most sensitive spot.

Alyssa's breathing became erratic and she was now thrusting her body towards him like a woman with a mission. She was dripping wet and he wasn't going to be able to hold on much faster. Merle had told him most women didn't have an orgasm on their first try, but Merle was wrong. Without warning Alyssa let out the most beautiful sound he had ever heard as she cried out his name while her legs began to tremble. He felt the muscles within he walls contract and that sent him over the edge to his own orgasm. He felt the warm liquid escaping his body and filling her up as she continued to clench around him. They rode out the orgasm together and Daryl finally withdrew himself from Alyssa and collapsed down on the bed. Both of them were covered in a sheen of sweat and were breathing out of control.

"I'm sorry if I didn't do that right." Alyssa finally said.

"Girl…you couldn't have done that any better if you tried. You might be a right proper girl in public, but you are a hellcat in the bedroom." He told her, causing her to giggle.

"So is it always like this?" She asked.

"It only gets better darling." He told her as he pulled her naked body against his and they both let themselves catch their breath.

…

About an hour later Daryl and Alyssa were wrapped up together on the couch by the fire place. Alyssa was wearing the black silk robe Daryl had bought her and only had on a pair of panties underneath. She couldn't believe she had actually been nervous about tonight. Not only was it the most wonderful physical release she had ever experienced, it seemed completely natural to be that way with Daryl. Daryl himself was wearing only a pair of boxers and an undershirt. He was still self conscious about the scarring on his body, and she wondered if it was something he would ever feel comfortable about with her. For now she wouldn't push it.

"Daryl, I wanted to talk to you about something." She said to him as she leaned her head on his shoulder.

"What is it darling?" He asked.

"Would you be upset if I stepped away from practicing medicine for a while? I'll keep my license current, but for now I just really want to focus on being your wife and starting a family." She told him.

"As long as you are happy then I'm fine with it. Besides, I kinda like the idea of you barefoot and pregnant." He teased.

"I also wanna help out on the farm. Don't forget I was raised on a farm and it's in my blood. Would that be OK with you too?" She asked.

"Anything you want Alyssa. Just as long as you are happy and safe I don't have a problem with it. The only thing I ask is if you do get in the family way that you promise to take it easy. I don't ever want no harm to come to you again." He said.

"I promise Daryl." She said as she pulled herself up against him closer. Even with the appearance of Will Dixon earlier in the day, today had been the best day of her entire life, and she never wanted it to end. Without realizing it though, she was beginning to fall asleep. Daryl carefully picked her up into his arms and carried her into their bedroom. He placed her now sleeping form down on the mattress and pulled her against his chest as he wrapped his arms around her. Within moments he himself fell into a comfortable dreamless sleep for the first time in over twenty years.

Hello- It's been a while. Sorry for the wait. This was a monster chapter and I am horrific at writing smut…so I apologize if it wasn't up to snuff.

 **Thanks for everyone for reading. Reviews are Awesome…and I want nothing more than to hear what y'all think of this story so far. Its' going to get much darker going forward. A lot of racist issues are coming up…so I'll warn you in advance.**

 **I truly hope to hear from some of you- But I want to offer up a big Thanks to those who left reviews last chapter:**

 **Aeris Aimara Ciren**

 **.2016**

 **celia azul**

 **Miss October 13**

 **Y'all rock and I am so thankful for you sticking by me as I write this story.**

 **For now I hope everyone has a lovely week.**

 **Missy**

 **XXOO**


	17. Chapter 17

Message-

Hey Guys- I just wanted you to know that I need to take a break from writing for a bit. I have too much going on with my job right now to properly focus and give you the best story that you deserve. I have an extended travel coming up….so maybe I can pick things back up mid March. I hope you don't get angry at me, but wanted you to know that I am struggling to fit in the time to write, and the ability to clear my mind as well.

We'll pick things back up as soon as things calm down.

Thanks-

Missy


	18. Chapter 18

**I apologize for the amount of time it has taken to get this chapter posted, but I have my muse back...so be ready!**

 **3 Months later….February 1939**

Daryl woke to the smell of bacon frying and coffee brewing. A smile crossed his face and he offered up a silent "thank you" for the woman in the kitchen preparing his breakfast. They had now been married for three months, and though it hadn't been a completely smooth process of learning to live with another person, Daryl wouldn't have traded it for anything.

Getting used to living with someone after living alone for so long had proved nothing less than challenging for the couple. Daryl had been a relatively tidy person, but he wasn't above throwing his dirty clothes in the corner, or putting a dirty dish in the sink to wash up later. Alyssa on the other hand, was obsessed with cleanliness. Maybe it had something to do with her medical training, but whatever it was, she was meticulous about keeping things in the house perfect.

One of the first things that Alyssa purchased for the house was a clothes hamper for the bedroom. If Daryl even attempted to drop his clothes on the floor, Alyssa would clear her throat and point to the hamper. It took a few weeks, but Daryl had learned that clothes in the hamper were important to Alyssa. Dishes didn't get placed in the sink, they were to be washed and dried immediately. It was a bit annoying to Daryl, but he wanted nothing more than to make his wife happy, so he obliged her rules for cleanliness.

Alyssa did things that bothered Daryl as well and one of those things led to their first small argument. Whereas Alyssa was meticulous about keeping the house immaculate, Daryl was obsessed with keeping his crossbow, gun, and knives in perfect condition. One afternoon just after they had got married Daryl had cleaned and oiled his guns and crossbow and had left them on the table until the oil dried . He had gone out to the barn to check on the hay in the stalls for one of the heifer's that was about to give birth, and when he returned, the table was clear and Alyssa had put the crossbow and guns in the closet on the floor. Daryl flew off the handle and pointed out to Alyssa that his weapons each had a case to protect them from scratches and that she had no right putting them in the closet on the floor like a dirty pair of boots. His outburst angered her, and she retorted by going into the bedroom and locking the door so Daryl couldn't get in. About an hour later Alyssa finally emerged from the bedroom and apologized, stating that she realized how important those items were to him and that she should have respected his belongings. After that, they spent the rest of the afternoon having toe-curling make-up sex.

Sex, which had always been somewhat taboo to Alyssa, was now something she anxiously looked forward too. By nature, Alyssa had always been prim and proper just as her mother had taught her to be. She was reserved and professional, and rarely let herself just react to anything without thinking it through. However, now that she had discovered the physical pleasures of making love with Daryl, she had this adventuresome side that only Daryl got to experience with her. The first few times they had been together, they had taken the more traditional approach to lovemaking, but Alyssa found herself possessing a boldness she never had before. The first time that she made the move to perform oral gratification on Daryl he stopped her and told her she didn't have too, but she insisted, and after seeing the intense pleasure he received from the act, she felt herself wanting to do more and more to please him. After that night, they both had a bold new confidence that allowed them to approach different sexual positions so that they both would benefit.

Being married made Alyssa feel like the one part of her womanhood that had always been missing was now fulfilled. She had more confidence in her relationship with Daryl, and he in turn seemed to have an extra spring in his step as well. They were good for each other, and most importantly, they were both happier than they had ever been before. The only thing Alyssa was frustrated with was that she had yet to get pregnant.

She didn't know why she was panicking, but she was. Alyssa never realized how much she wanted to have children, until she married Daryl. Now she had become obsessed with getting pregnant and couldn't believe it hadn't happened yet. Beth got pregnant right away when her and Merle got married, so Alyssa was thinking something might be wrong. Each month her cycle came and went, and each time she cried, leaving Daryl at a loss at what to do to console his wife. The reasonable side of Alyssa knew it often took people a year or two to conceive, but she so desperately wanted to give Daryl a child that her reasonableness went straight out the window.

Though Daryl knew Alyssa was becoming somewhat, and he might even say irrationally obsessed with conceiving a child, he himself was just content to be married to the most beautiful woman he could have ever imagined. In the three months since he had married he had gained a little weight, had an incredible sex life, and had talked more than he ever had in his entire existence. He shared everything with Alyssa, the good, the bad, and everything in between. He had even gone through all of the details of what had happened during the war and explained that he carried that guilt with him everyday. Instead of Alyssa looking at him with either pity or disgust, she told him how brave and strong he was to have endured all of that at such a young age. She reassured him he had nothing to be ashamed of nor any guilt that he needed to feel. It seemed like once he had come clean with her about everything that he had kept buried so deeply for all these years, that his nightmares finally subsided.

Alyssa had enjoyed going back to her old life as a farmer…well technically a farmer's wife. Her and Beth both had taken on duties running the dairy while Merle and Daryl were getting the poultry house ready for their first shipment of chickens. It was getting close to the time to start tending to the fields again. There was going to be a lot of work tilling the fields and planting seed so the crop would be ready for harvest in August.

Rumor had it that a new Doctor would be coming to Holly Springs to take over since Alyssa had decided to not continue as a physician. Beth and Alyssa were now both fully committed to their husbands and running the farm, while Rosita would continue to operate as a mid-wife. Hearing the news that there would be medical care again in the small town alleviated some of the guilt that Alyssa harbored about leaving her practice. Maybe one day she would feel the passion about medicine that she once did, but for now that passion had waned considerably.

One of the first things that Alyssa and Daryl did after becoming married was to assess the old farmhouse that Daryl had purchased from his father. He hadn't been in the old house in a long time, since up until recently it was where his father had resided. After he purchased the house, he decided to wait until he and Alyssa were married before he even attempted to do an evaluation of what needed to be done to get the place livable again.

When Daryl and Alyssa first entered the house they both gasped. The smell was overwhelming and Daryl could only imagine what his father had left behind for him to clean up. There were holes in the wall, the hardwood floors were scratched and scraped, windows were broken, the stairs were in disrepair and the there was no indoor plumbing. Things in the house were far worse than Daryl had remembered or even imagined they could be. The one thing that both Alyssa and Daryl were pleased with was that they found several of Daryl's Grandparent's belongings still in pristine condition packed up in the attic. Daryl's baby crib along with his Grandmother's Fine china were just a few of the items that were still intact. Alyssa informed Daryl that under no circumstances were those items going anywhere. She could re-furbish the crib for their child (which she hoped to be using soon) and the china could be used and displayed in the maple china cabinet that she had her eye on down at the local furniture store. But those were just a few of the positives with the old house, the amount of work that was going to be needed to get the house in good living condition was beyond Daryl's capabilities. That was when Alyssa convinced him it might be in their best interest to hire someone.

After they left the house, Daryl was trying to figure out who to hire to take care of the mess. He asked Alyssa who she had hired to do the repairs on her home when she purchased it, and she informed him that she had hired a man who did construction named Tyreese Williams and he had done a great job and charged a fair price. That was all Daryl needed to hear before he headed to East Holly Springs to find Tyreese and ask him about taking on the task. To be honest, when Daryl and Alyssa had entered the house, the damage done by his father and the god awful smell within the house did nothing but bring back horrific memories of Daryl's past life with his father. Hiring Tyreese to handle the renovation meant that Daryl wouldn't have to be exposed to those triggers. One thing that was for sure, Daryl was going to make as many changes as they possibly could.

That evening Tyreese was sitting at Daryl and Alyssa's house going over the plans for the renovation. Tyreese was going to handle everything and his price that he was charging Daryl would allow him to hire a small crew. Daryl would supply all the materials once Tyreese gave him a list of what was needed and then Daryl and Alyssa would let Tyreese handle everything else. They decided on an open floor plan for the first floor, and then four separate bedrooms upstairs. The master suite would have a bathroom attached with a shower, which neither Daryl nor Alyssa had ever experienced before. There would also be a common bathroom upstairs and one directly below downstairs. The old fireplaces were going to be blocked, with the exception of the one down in the living area, but there were going to be a lot of repairs to make the fireplace safe again. A furnace would be installed in the basement, and all new steps would be built both inside and outside. The house would be painted white with red shutters, and the entire interior would be painted white as well. Both Daryl and Alyssa preferred the clean look and Alyssa promised she would be sure to bring in plenty of color once they move in and she was allowed to decorate. Once everything was settled Daryl signed an agreement with Tyreese and gave him a retainer up front. Daryl assumed it would take at least six months before they could move in, but Tyreese felt like he and his guys could do it in four. Either way, the young married couple was excited to see how everything was going to turn out.

…

Now that Daryl and Alyssa had been married for three months, they were starting to fall into a comfortable routine, and Alyssa had developed concerns. It seemed that Daryl was so focused on trying to please her that he was losing himself somewhere along the way. Though it didn't seem to bother Daryl, Alyssa was sure that it would soon. Daryl no longer went hunting, or spent quality time alone with his brother and uncle. Each morning he woke up when Alyssa did, and then he would get dressed while she made breakfast. She would ask him if he had any plans after tending to farm, and he would always tell her "whatever you want to do is fine with me." At first she had been touched that he wanted to spend time with her, but she knew that if Daryl didn't start to do what he wanted to do one of two things were going to happen. He would become completely dependent on Alyssa, and God forbid if something happened to her then he would be completely lost and probably spiral to a place worse than before. The other thing that she was worried about was that Daryl would wake up one morning and realize how miserable he was and probably resent her in return. Either way, she had to do something to subtly encourage him to do some of his own things.

"You know Daryl, I was thinking maybe we could have a fish fry. Maybe you, your brother, and your Uncle could go up North a few miles and catch us some trout. I really miss having trout." She mentioned to him one day over breakfast.

"If I do that I'd be gone all day. What are you gonna do if I ain't here to help out?" He asked.

"Daryl, it's fine, don't forget I lived on my own before I met you. I've got laundry to handle, and the house needs a thorough cleaning. I might even take a ride into town to Rhee's store to see if I can order a few things for the house. We're gonna need to get furniture and appliances soon. I might could even ride into Canton and check out some things. Milton wanted me to schedule an appointment this week, so maybe I can handle that as well." She told Daryl.

"Why does he need you to keep coming in? Everything is healed and I don't like the way he looks at you. It's almost like he owns you." Daryl told her in a concerned voice.

"Daryl you are imagining things. He just wants to take a look at the scarring and make sure that nothing else is going on. It's just good medical care, and he only has me coming twice a month now." Alyssa told him.

"It's strange to me that he finally had you stop coming in twice a week just as planting season is starting. We still ain't had a proper honeymoon yet and you know I couldn't sit here for the month after we got married and not do anything. It is too much for just Merle and Jess to handle, and Beth is in a delicate condition and needs to take it easy. I wanna take you up to Vermont just like you want, but Its gonna be next fall before we can find the time to do that." He told her, frustration evident in his voice.

"Daryl, It's fine. We've got our whole lives ahead of us to go up North. Who knows, maybe by fall we'll be expecting and that will be far more exciting than a trip up New England. Right now, the most important thing to me is for you to get out and go fishing with your brother and your uncle and catch us a mess of fish. Do you think you could do that?" She asked him.

Daryl gave her smile "Yeah, if it's what you want…ain't got no problems doing that. It'll be nice to catch up with Merle and Jess. I ain't really spent much time with them since we got married." He admitted.

"Well good. I'll talk to Beth and Hannah and we will take care of putting together a good dinner down here at our house. And Daryl, it's OK if you want to spend time with them and not me sometimes. It's healthy and it's normal. Just keep that in mind." She told him. Daryl stood up and gave her hug and wondered how he could have gotten so lucky. He had the perfect wife, and he hoped she knew it.

So Merle, Jess, and Daryl started a tradition of going out fishing together on Saturday mornings after they had finished up their duties on the farm, and each Saturday evening the Dixon's would all gather together at Daryl and Alyssa's house and enjoy the fresh trout that boys would catch. Sometimes the men would talk about the farm and their plans for the season, or sometimes they wouldn't talk at all and just enjoy the peace and quiet of the outdoors. Either way Daryl was just happy that Alyssa had encouraged him that it was OK to spend time just being Daryl.

It seemed as each day went by Daryl dwelled less and less on his painful past and now found himself looking towards his bright future. He had never known what true happiness was, but now that he had it in his life he never wanted to let it go.

…

Rick woke up and rolled over. Beside him Michonne lay naked, entwined in the sheets. He leaned over and kissed her on the shoulder, causing her to stir from her slumber. Carl had left for the weekend to go camping with some of his friends and that left the two alone with Andre and Judith. This wasn't the first time that they had been together intimately, but it was the first time that they actually had slept in each other's arms.

They kept the fact that their relationship had become physical from Carl. Not because they thought that Carl wouldn't be accepting of them as a couple falling in love, but because they didn't want to put Carl in a situation where he would have to keep a secret. The irony of the whole situation is that Holly Spring's top law enforcement officer was knowingly and willingly breaking the law. Not only were interracial marriages illegal, it was also illegal to share intimacy with someone of a different race.

"Morning." Michonne said in a groggy voice.

"Morning to you as well." Rick said as he pulled the ebony skinned beauty towards him.

"Don't get carried away Officer Grimes…we've got children to tend too." She told him as she relished the feeling of him kissing her on the shoulder and working his way down her neck.

"It's still quiet, we've got a few minutes to break the law." He teased, and with that he moved on top of her and they enjoyed their few "moments" together.

By the time Rick managed to get out of bed and get dressed he was back to all business in his demeanor. He gave Michonne a kiss goodbye and then headed down to the station.

Over the past few months race relations had grown worse in Holly Springs and Rick didn't know what to do. He was severely understaffed to handle the situation, and he only had one Deputy that he fully trusted, and that was Shane. Neither he nor Shane trusted Gorman, but the other deputy had not done anything directly that warranted being terminated. Gorman had come to them with a spotless record and he had done everything he was asked to do. The only thing was that it seemed like that whenever there was an outbreak of racial violence, Gorman was on duty and he was always on the opposite side of town from where the trouble would start.

Since the fire in October, there had been two crosses burned in town. One was at the new Pastor's house after he had been on the job for only a month. Pastor Jimmy Ellington was a young man just out of seminary, but he was also a well spoken and bold man as well. The Pastor had grown up in Holly Springs and had even dated Beth Dixon back in High School, but after graduation he felt a higher calling and had gone to Louisville Kentucky to attend the Southern Baptist Seminary. Not only was it an excellent school for higher learning, the school held true to anti segregation beliefs. When Jimmy had heard that there was an opening in his home town, he jumped at the chance to return. While most people in town were ecstatic to get one of their favorite sons back, there were many other nameless faces that saw the Pastor as a threat. Someone had thought that sending a message one Sunday after the pastor had delivered a particularly fiery message might shut the man down, but all they ended up doing was creating a more determined man. Jimmy Ellington was not going to be swayed by anyone, and he didn't fear anyone, claiming he had the Lord on his side and he had faith that God would protect him.

The other thing that had happened was there were three more lynchings. All three men were found down by the River hanging from a rope tied around a massive oak tree. One of the men Rick had dealt with in the past, his name was Terry and he was a petty thief and known bootlegger. It was strange to Rick that someone saw this guy as a threat or used him to send a message…Terry wasn't known to stir up trouble, and there were very few in the black community that would miss his presence. In fact twice Rick had picked the guy up on larceny and each time the man looked like he wanted to tell Rick something, but changed his mind each time. Obviously Rick was missing something, but he couldn't figure out what it was.

After Terry's lynching, Rick made the call he had regretted having to make. He had been putting it off for months but he was finally forced to call the SBI in Atlanta and request help. He wasn't sure if he would get the assistance they needed, but this morning when he arrived at the office Detective Abraham Ford had been sent down from the capitol to help with the problems they were struggling with.

Abe Ford was a sight to behold. He was a hulking man with flaming red hair and a handle bar mustache to match. The plaid suit he wore was ill fitting and gave the man a slightly disheveled look, but the pure size of the man was more than just a little intimidating. The other thing that Rick immediately noticed was the man was a blunt as someone could possibly be. He swore like a sailor, and had a way with words like Rick had never heard, but Rick couldn't deny the fact he actually liked the guy.

With Gorman on patrol, and Shane off duty since he had the night shift the prior evening, Rick was left to go over all of the details of the unrest alone with Abe in the interrogation room. It wasn't an ideal office, but it was all they had. The man whipped out a pad of paper and a pen and began to write down the details vigorously.

"I've got a forensics guy coming up from Atlanta later this week. He's strange as hell, but he's also top notch. Have you collected evidence from the scenes? Prints, bullets, blood, or any other things of that nature?" Abe inquired.

"We've got rope, but couldn't find any prints. I will be the first to admit that our investigation was rudimentary at best." Rick informed the man.

"Well that stops now. I'm going to comb over these case files and see if anything jumps out. Are you going to be around a while in case I have some questions?" Abe asked.

Rick told him yes and then he went to his own office, relieved that he finally had some help.

…

As much as Merle Dixon enjoyed attending church these days, he was less than happy to find out that the new Minister, Jimmy Ellington was one of Beth's one time suitors. Though Beth had informed Merle he had nothing to worry about, the young man's youth, handsome good looks, and social standing had Merle slightly concerned.

On this particular Wednesday night Beth was getting ready for Bible study. Merle was pacing around their bedroom while she dressed and finally he blurted out "Why do you have to look so damn beautiful? Are you trying to impress the Reverend? You know I can't compete with that man. He's young and smart and well liked…I ain't ever gonna be able to give you any of that."

Beth stopped and looked at Merle. She had never quite seen this look on him…jealousy. "Merle, I've told you a hundred times, It's you I love and you don't have anything to worry about." She then walked over to Merle who had slumped down in the chair in their bedroom and she took his face in his hands. "Even when I was dating Jimmy back in high school it was always you that were on my mind Merle. I just always figured you wouldn't have been interested in me. And Merle, don't ever let yourself think you aren't as good as Jimmy. You are the strongest man I've ever known, and you are so much smarter than you give yourself credit. Book learning doesn't make you smart Merle, just educated."

Merle let out a sigh "I'm sorry, but I worry about losing ya Beth. If anything ever happened to ya I don't know what I would do."

"Sweetie, you aren't going to lose me. I'm yours forever, and this baby I'm carrying is just the start. Now stop worrying and get ready for church." She said as she gave him a chaste kiss on the lips.

"Woman, you are gonna be the death of me." He said.

"Nope…I said forever, so that means you don't get to die." She giggled and Merle just shook his head and got ready for Bible study.

…

Merle and Beth arrived at the Church a few minutes early. They were met by Hershel and Annette and Hershel was teasing his youngest daughter about the fact that she was now waddling instead of walking. Beth just shook her head and Annette wrapped her arms around her and helped her up the church steps, leaving Merle and Hershel trailing behind.

"You know Merle, I wasn't sure if Beth was making the right decision when she told us she wanted to be with you, but now I know." Hershel said in a serious tone.

"Yeah, are you disappointed?" He asked, afraid of what Hershel might say.

"Yes, I'm disappointed that I didn't see in you what she did. It took me a while, but I know you are the best thing that has ever happened to my little girl. Merle you make that girl happy, and that makes me happy. I've grown to love you as if you were my own son, and I don't say that lightly." The older man told Merle.

Merle Dixon was speechless. No one other than Beth had told him anything that had made him feel like he did in this brief moment with his father in law. Unable to speak, Merle just nodded and gave Hershel a pat on the back as the two made their way into the church.

After the Bible study was over, the young minister called after Merle and Beth. "Mr. Dixon, can I speak with you for a moment?"

Merle wondered what Beth's former suitor could possibly want to speak with him about.

Merle stuttered for a moment, but soon answered "Sure, what did I do wrong?" He assumed he had inadvertently done something to offend someone in the congregation. Merle might have come a long way in the past year, but he was still Merle Dixon and that meant his delivery could be a little abrupt.

"Nothing at all Merle. I don't know if you know it or not, but we have an opening for a new deacon, and I would like you to consider taking on that role." Jimmy told him.

Merle was truly speechless for the second time tonight. "Have you hit your head or something? Do you know who I am?"

"Yes Merle, I'm well aware of who you are. Don't forget I grew up in Holly Springs before I went to Seminary. You are exactly the person that I think would make a good Deacon." The young preacher told Merle.

"But I ain't a good person…or at least I wasn't, people won't take kindly to knowing that Merle Dixon, the local rebel rouser, is now a Church deacon."

"Merle, name one person in the Bible that didn't have their faults? The Apostle Paul used to persecute Christians prior to his conversion, Peter denied Christ, and Adam fell into temptation…I could go on and on. Merle the man you have become in this past year versus the man that you were just a short period of time prior is an amazing transformation. You are the best example of how someone can turn their life around and live right. To make it even better, you have a way with people. You speak the truth because you speak from your heart. You are exactly what we need in this Church. Someone who is willing to stand up for what they believe in." Jimmy said passionately.

Beth, Annette, and Hershel were all standing by Merle as Jimmy was speaking to him and Merle turned to Beth "What do you think? Is he crazy or what?"

"No Merle, I think he is dead on the money. You would be a great Deacon." Beth said proudly.

"Hershel…help me out here." Merle said when he turned to his father in law.

"You don't need my help Merle. You know Jimmy is right, you would be perfect for the part." Hershel said agreeing with Beth.

Merle thought for a moment "So what exactly would a Deacon do?"

"You would be involved in the business of the Church, help out with Communion and Sunday offerings, and occasionally visit with the sick and infirmed. You would also help to mentor new members. Basically you would be a representative of this church and an arm to this ministry. Would you please consider it?" Jimmy said almost pleading.

Merle let out a small chuckle "Well I never thought good old Merle Dixon would be a pillar of the Church community, but if you think I would be a good fit, then I'd be honored."

"Good to hear Merle. Sunday I'll bring you up and present you to the congregation. I know I've made the right decision." The pastor said enthusiastically while shaking Merle's hand.

After he left the small group Merle turned to his family "Did that just happen?"

"Yes Merle, it really did." Hershel said as he pulled his son in law into a warm embrace that was quickly enhanced as Annette and Beth joined in.

…

Will Dixon had observing his son's and their activities over the past three months. After being told he was no longer welcome at the farm after Daryl and Alyssa's wedding, Will had decided to step back and see if he could figure out what his son's had been up too. He knew it had to be something related to the sympathies that the Greene's, Daryl's bitch, and his fucked up brother all felt for the Niggers in town, but he couldn't quite determine what it was yet.

Over the past few months Will had been approached from different folks in town inquiring about his sons. Will had been sober now for six months, and it made him realize more than ever that he had never received the respect from his son's that he deserved, and he felt that his parents, brother, and dead wife were the blame. They had tainted his son's view of him all those years ago, and the boys never were able to see that in Will's eyes he was just trying to do what was best for those boys. They needed to learn to be men and to stand on their own two feet and sometimes that meant they had to get a good beating.

Will had loved his own parents, and even Nellie for the first part of their relationship, but they had made him weak because they were weak. He had chosen to separate himself from them or he would have turned out like his brother…a pussy whipped man that no one took seriously. Will knew that most men in Holly Springs saw Jess as an outsider that was married to a dirty squaw and tarnished the good family name. Then the whore bore him two sons that ended up dead, and one half-breed of a daughter that would never amount to anything other than a two-bit whore herself. She would never be accepted by society and Jess had condemned that girl to a miserable life the moment he planted his seed inside his Cherokee wife. Those thoughts made Will let out a small laugh that caught the attention of the others in the room.

"Dixon, you got something to say?" Philip Blake asked him.

Will just shook his head "no" in response. Currently Will and his 'Wrecking Crew' were sitting in a smoke filled room that resided on Philip Blake's property. Blake was currently running for the Mayor of Holly Springs against the bleeding heart Dale Horvath, and getting elected as mayor was just a small part of the grand plan, which was getting Blake elected to Governor of the Great State of Georgia. Blake had been advised that for him to have a career in politics he needed to start at the lower level government and make a name for himself locally, and then that would increase his chances of making his name known throughout the state.

Will had never cared too much for Politics, but Blake had a charismatic way about him that made Will feel a sense of loyalty like he had never really felt to anyone before. They both believed in the same thing, preservation of the white race, the strength of the men in this community, and under no circumstances were white men and Niggers equal. The primary goal was to keep the races separate, prevent anyone of color from being able to vote, and most importantly…white's first. Best case scenario would be White's only, but that was a mighty big dream that he could only wish would come true.

Mitch finally spoke up "Dixon, do you know why I keep seeing Merle and Daryl headed up North a few time a week? Do they got business up there?"

"Don't know. It ain't like I'm exactly welcome at the family homestead anymore. Y'all know how those boys are, especially Daryl. He finally gets himself a piece of pussy and now he ain't got time for his old man." Will responded.

Mitch let out a laugh "Will, Daryl ain't never had time for you. It's a shame about Merle though, we could really use someone like him in our cause."

Blake heard the comment from Mitch and slammed his fist down on the table. " That piece of shit ain't worth the dirt I walk on. He publicly disrespected me and my wife…speaking the crudest words she has ever heard, and never fucking once apologized for it. The way I see it Will's better off without either one of those boys."

Even though Will was estranged from his sons, he still felt a sense of embarrassment of how their actions indirectly reflected on him. He cleared his throat and spoke "Look I've washed my hands of my family and my loyalty lies here to this group and our cause. If you want me to poke around and try to find out what they have been up too, I'm more than glad to do so. Me and my crew can keep an eye out on all of them for the next few days and try to determine what is going on. I know that Daryl's wife ain't doctoring anymore since the fire and that Merle's bitch can barely walk with the baby in her belly, but if there is something else going on, I'll find out." Will assured the group.

"Let's hope you can do better with this than you did with finding that Noah kid." Blake spoke, bringing up a sore point with Will.

Back before Noah had disappeared from Holly Springs, Will had been scoping out someone he could glean information from down on the Eastside. He found a derelict named Terry, who had been best friends with the Grime's housekeeper's husband Mike. All Will had to do was provide Terry with a bit of opium and a bottle of liquor and the man would tell everything he knew. It was Terry who had lead Will and his crew to Mike's hiding place after the Nigger had raped Blake's wife, and it was Terry who revealed that Noah and his family had been hiding at Father Gabriel's Church.

Though Will and his goons had been able to catch Mike Giles and make him pay quite painfully for his transgressions against Blake's beautiful wife, Noah had slipped through his fingers, and Blake was constantly reminding Will of that. Finding Noah was now Will's obsession. Somehow someone had to have tipped off Noah and his family that Will and his team had found out where they were hiding, but Will couldn't figure out who it was. He suspected that it was actually Terry who had slipped up in a drunken stupor and let someone know about Will's intentions. Will had no idea that it was actually Mitch's big mouth that had given them away, and that it was his own son who had acted fast and got the boy and his family to safety.

After the incident with Noah, an angry Will had decided that Terry was too much of a risk. The darkie had seemed too weak and remorseful after Mike had paid his penance and Will was afraid that Terry might go to the authorities. So on a foggy night in December the wrecking crew made a trip to East Holly Springs and served up what Will called "Southern Justice". That meant that Terry's life ended at the of a rope attached to an old oak tree down by river. Three days later Terry's body was found swaying in the wind as the buzzards feasted on his corpse.

"Listen to me Blake, and you listen good. Noah might have got the best of me a few months back, but I take him getting away as a personal failure, and I don't fail. I will have that boy back here in Holly Springs attached to a rope so folks know we are not to be toyed with. Do you hear me? I don't care what it takes, I will find him and bring him to justice." Will said emphatically.

Blake looked at the determined man and smiled. "Boy's we need more men like Will Dixon. He has proven his loyalty time and time again and with more men like him, our cause will not fail. You find this Noah kid, and I will see to it all of you move up in the ranks of our organization."

Will was almost overcome with joy when Blake told him that. It had been many years since anyone had treated Will like he was anything other than poor white trash.

Then Blake spoke again "Dixon, why don't you and your new wife Paula come over tomorrow to join us for dinner. I'm sure we have plenty we can discuss. Andrea and her sister could use support in setting up their own group of women sympathetic to our cause and I think Paula would be a great choice in helping them achieve that goal."

Will could hardly contain himself. This opportunity to move up in this organization gave Will a sense of pride and purpose. Now with his new wife (Will had married Paula a month earlier) by his side and the possibility of moving into Blake's inner circle looming, he knew he had to do whatever it took to find Noah and tie up loose ends. He just had no idea how close he really was to the whole Noah situation. He would have never guessed it was his own sons that were keeping Noah hidden in his own family's old hunting cabin.

…

It was the day after Merle had spoken with Jimmy about becoming a Church Deacon and Merle had still not told anyone in the family about his conversation with the pastor. Daryl on the other hand, was driving back to Holly Springs replaying the discussion he had just had with Noah and his family, and he knew that everything Noah had said rang true. They couldn't stay at the mountain cabin up at the lake forever.

Daryl and Merle had continued to make weekly trips up to the mountains to check on Noah and his family and to bring supplies. There had been a few times that he and Merle had been questioned from curious townspeople about their numerous trips to the general store to purchase food and other supplies. Normally folks would only stock a few times a month, but it seemed that the Dixon's were going through supplies twice as fast as most people. Merle would just tell people that Beth was having all sorts of food cravings with her pregnancy and Daryl would say that Alyssa liked to cook and entertain. No one really seemed to question it much, but when someone had questioned Will Dixon about what was going on over at the farm, his interest was piqued.

Earlier in the day when Daryl had arrived to drop off the supplies he was greeted by Noah's momma while the twins were pushing each other around in a tire swing they had improvised. With it being February the weather was cold and Daryl had made an extra effort to bring some extra firewood with him. Noah had been doing everything he could to make sure that the cabin was kept up as well as it could be, but as old and dilapidated as the building was, you could only do so much. They filled in as many gaps in the wood with a process called 'chinking' which was basically shoving a gravel and mud mixture into the cracks between the boards. Even Daryl knew the family had to be struggling with their sanity. No one should be forced to live like this.

Daryl found Noah down by the lake, fishing through a hole that he had cut in the thin layer of ice that had covered the lake.

"Hey" Daryl said with his southern drawl to get Noah's attention.

"Hey" Noah replied back in a tone that let Daryl know the kid was barely holding on.

"You doing OK?" Daryl asked.

"No, I'm not Daryl. We can't stay here anymore. Either we gotta get out of here and go somewhere else, or we take our chances and go back to Holly Springs." Noah said in an almost angry tone.

"You can't come back to town." Daryl replied almost to quickly.

"Why is that Daryl? I gotta wonder…we told you that it was your daddy that killed Mike, and you said you would handle it, but we've been out here close to four months now and nothing has been taken care of. I've been considering the idea that you only have us out here to protect your old man. You don't have the balls to kill us like he certainly would, but you don't have the balls to do what is right either." Noah said angrily.

Daryl suddenly began to seethe. How dare Noah suggest that he would protect his own father who Daryl would love to see locked away for the rest of his life. In a fit of anger Daryl pulled off his shirt and coat and showed his scars to Noah.

"You see this? This is what my old man did too me over and over again. You think I give a shit if he rots in prison? And do you really think I would have saved you and your family's asses because I wanted to protect that bastard? How dare you fucking accuse me of that? Merle and I risk our families every time we make a trip out here to check on y'all and bring you supplies. You ain't got no right to say that." Daryl said while his chest heaved heavily as his outburst had left him a bit breathless.

Noah looked at Daryl in shock, too surprised to respond for a moment. The last time he had seen scars like Daryl's were on the backs of some of the older generation who had endured punishment back before the civil war. Noah had no idea what Daryl had gone through, and now he felt like a complete fool for reacting the way he did. Merle and Daryl had done everything they possibly could to make his family as comfortable as possible under the circumstances, and Noah's frustration had gotten the best of him.

"Daryl…I'm so sorry man. I didn't mean to say what I did. I know you wouldn't be protecting your daddy at our expense, but living like this is just too much. My momma doesn't say anything, but I can see the light in her eyes fading each day, and the boys keep asking when we are gonna go home. We gotta get out of here." Noah said in an almost pleading tone.

"I know...but where would you go? It's too dangerous for y'all in town right now. Things ain't getting any better." Daryl told the younger man.

"We've got family in Richmond. If we could make it there, I think we would be alright. I know they would take us in, the only thing is getting there. They don't have the means of making the trip here to get us, and we can't risk taking the train up there to be with them. The only way we could do it is to drive and that's a mighty long way to go." Noah said.

He was right. It was at least five hundred miles, and a trip like that in any vehicle meant you would have to stop and replace tires at least every hundred miles. With all the breakdowns and the unreliability of the truck, plus the lack of roads between Atlanta and Richmond, it would take at least ten days to get there and another ten days to get back. It would be a long time to be away from Alyssa and the farm, but if Daryl was going to do this, he would have to do it now before the planting season started up in a few short weeks. With Beth being with child, he didn't want to take Merle away from her for any period of time so that meant it would have to be Daryl alone taking the risk of getting the family somewhere safe.

"Let me think on this for a couple of days, and then I'll be up in a few days and we'll have it figured out. I promise Noah, we'll get you somewhere safe." Daryl said as he extended his hand to the young man, and Noah gave him a reassuring look that let Daryl know that he fully trusted him…so much so he was willing to put his and the rest of his family's life in Daryl's hands. It was a lot of responsibility for Daryl, but after everything his father had done to Noah's family and friends, it was the least he could do.

…

After Daryl arrived home that night he and Alyssa headed over to Beth and Merle's for dinner. Beth had a visit from Rosita earlier in the day and Rosita was a little concerned because Beth was beginning to swell around her ankles and she still had four months to go into her pregnancy. Because of Beth's tiny frame she was showing a lot more than most women would at five months, and Rosita was concerned that Beth might have complications during the later part of her term. Of course, Beth kept this bit of news to herself as she didn't want to worry Merle.

After eating a dinner of chicken and dumplings that Beth had prepared Merle had finally made the proud announcement that he was asked to become a Church Deacon. Daryl about fell out of his chair. "You've got to be kidding me." He said in a disbelieving voice and he quickly received a light swat from Alyssa.

"Daryl, I completely understand where the Reverend is coming from in this situation. I think Merle will do a remarkable job. Maybe you could focus on getting yourself a little more involved in Church." Alyssa chastised.

"Hey, I go with you every Sunday…ain't that enough?" Daryl replied.

Beth started laughing at the couples little spat "Baby steps Alyssa…at least he goes now so I know he take a bath at least once a week."

Daryl tried to look offended, but he couldn't hold back a genuine smile "Just for the record since I'm a married man I bathe on a regular basis. Alyssa won't let me into the bed unless I'm all cleaned up."

"It's about time you learned to take a bath baby brother. I told you sex changes everything." Merle teased while Beth and Alyssa just looked at him in shock.

"What? I told you I wasn't perfect and the good preacher said he liked the fact I spoke the truth." Merle retorted, sending the other three now into a rowdy fit of laughter and giggles.

After they were done laughing and Beth had served coffee Daryl cleared his throat to speak. "I went and saw Noah this morning, and they ain't doing so well."

"Are they sick? Do I need to make a trip up to check them out?" Alyssa asked in a concerned voice.

"No, they all appear to be healthy…at least physically, but they ain't living no kind of life and it is wearing on them greatly." Daryl informed the group.

"But we can't bring them back here and you know it." Merle told them.

"Look, Noah told me they have family up in Richmond and if we can get them there, then they should be safe. No one knows about what happened here and they would just blend in with the rest of their family. They could start new lives and be away from all this shit here." Daryl said.

"But Richmond is over five hundred miles from here." Alyssa said.

"I know, and that's why I decided I'll take them up there myself." Daryl told them.

"You'll be gone over three weeks to do a trip like that." Merle blurted out.

"I know…but if I do it now I'll be back before we start to put the crops in. I'll pick up some poultry on the way back and that is what we will tell people when they ask where I am. That includes Jess. He doesn't need to know about this." Daryl insisted. It was then that he turned to Alyssa and saw both fear and sadness in her features.

"Three weeks? Isn't there something else we can do?" Alyssa asked, knowing that they had very few choices.

"They don't have a vehicle and they can't take the train…so what else can we do?" Daryl said in an almost defeated tone. He didn't want to leave for that long of a period of time, but he could no longer let Noah and his family live in the conditions they were stuck in.

"I have an idea!" Alyssa said enthusiastically.

"No Alyssa, it's too dangerous for you to come with me." Daryl said immediately before she could even say what her idea was.

"That wasn't my idea Daryl and if you would let me speak you would have known that." She said sharply.

"Man baby brother, you are in trouble." Merle said under his breath.

Daryl looked at Alyssa apologetically "Sorry, go ahead and tell me your idea."

"They can have my truck. We can load the truck up with supplies, provide them with some money, and give them a map. Then you don't have to be gone for three weeks and they will have a vehicle to help them out in the future. I hardly use the truck anymore and at least I know it would be going to a good cause. Who knows, maybe by them going up North Noah will be able to go to college and be able to make something in his life. We all know if he stays here they will get caught up in the cycle of poverty. Please Daryl…consider doing this." She almost begged.

It was Merle who spoke next "I've got a few hundred buck they could have to cover expenses and to help them get set up. It's the least Beth and I can do to help out." He looked to Beth and she was nodding enthusiastically.

Daryl then spoke "If you are OK with letting the truck go, then I ain't go no problems with it."

"I promise Daryl, I don't mind it one bit." She reiterated.

"Fine, I'm supposed to go up on Monday and check on them. We'll load up the truck this weekend and Me and Merle can go up to the cabin and drop everything off. The best we can do after that is pray that they make it to Richmond OK. Once they get out of Georgia I think there chances of hitting any trouble are low." Daryl said.

"See Daryl, praying isn't such a bad thing." Alyssa teased him as she gave him a kiss on the cheek.

They discussed the final plans and made a list of things that they would need to provide for supplies, but at least they now had something in place to help Noah, his mother, and his younger brothers get to a place where they could finally start living life again.

Later that night as Daryl and Alyssa had settled into bed he held her tightly to him and did exactly what he said he was going to do. Daryl prayed for Noah's family and their well being. There was just a nagging feeling deep down that something would go wrong between now and then and he just hoped it was just him being overly cautious.

 **I want to thank you in advance if you have been patient enough to pick up reading this story again. I got my enthusiasm for writing back and I want to update on a much more regular basis.**

 **For everyone who has reviewed and offered support for this story I want to offer my deepest apologies. I actually had to re-read the story from the beginning just to get the flow of things together in my mind.**

 **PLease review, yell at me, or offer constructive criticism if need be. I know I deserve it. Next chapter will have a lot going on, but I have an outline and hope maybe to have something up by Sunday. Take care and thank you for your continued support.**

 **Love all of you!**

 **Missy-**

 **XXOO**


	19. Chapter 19

The next morning Daryl was sitting at the table reading the newspaper while Alyssa was making breakfast for the both of them. The weather had turned bitterly cold and it had begun to sleet outside. Daryl knew that it was going to be miserable taking care of the farm responsibilities today, and he and Merle still needed to go into to town to pick up supplies for Noah's family.

The radio was playing and there was a breaking news broadcast announcing that Pope Pius XI had passed away. Alyssa pulled her sweater a bit tighter to her body and Daryl decided to get up and add an additional log to the fire to help combat the cold weather. When he sat down Alyssa spoke. "You know with all the unrest in Europe right now I'm not surprised the Pope passed away, I wouldn't want to live in all that mess going on over there either."

Daryl then replied "You do realize if it continues to get worse the US will eventually be involved as well. We've got too many allies in Europe for us to stay out of the conflict. Especially France and Great Britain. I've been reading in the paper that Britain is preparing itself for bombing raids and to make matters worse it looks like Japan is becoming aggressive in the Pacific. The US has territories in that part of the world as well. If anything happens it will be just a matter of time before We put out a call to arms."

Alyssa just shook her head "All this war talk is depressing Daryl. Let's talk about something else. We could go to a movie tonight. 'Huckleberry Finn' has just been released and I heard that Mickey Rooney is really good in the movie."

Huckleberry Finn had been one Daryl's favorite books when he was younger. Huck had been an orphan with an abusive and neglective father and the story resonated with Daryl. He always dreamed of being able to escape his Father's hold on him and escaping the confines of Holly Springs and explore the mighty Mississippi River in a raft just like Huck. Of course in reality Daryl's escape from Holly Springs had been a trip to Europe and a bloody battlefield in France. He hadn't been thinking about that time in his life that much anymore, but with the news of Germany's continued aggression, he couldn't help but have some of those dark memories return to the surface.

"Alyssa you know if we go to war there is still a chance I could be called back up." Daryl told her in an honest tone. He didn't want to think about it, but with his previous experience and the fact that he had yet to age out of the draft like Merle, it was still a possibility.

"I won't let it happen." She said flatly.

"I don't think you have much say in it if I do get called up." Daryl told her honestly.

"Let's just change the subject. So do you want to go to the movies tonight?" She said.

"If the weather let's up we can go out to dinner and go to a movie if you want." Daryl told her.

"But is that what you want Daryl?" Once again Alyssa was concerned that Daryl was sacrificing his interests to keep her happy.

"I want to do what makes you happy Alyssa." He told her.

"Daryl- honey I want to do what makes you happy because we are a team, and that means you get to choose things as well." She replied.

Daryl thought about what she was saying. She actually wanted to do something that he was interested in doing. Daryl looked at her and smiled "First week of March I was planning on making a trip out to the Gainesville area to buy some birds. There is a bunch of farms out that way and I know they produce quality poultry. I was planning on going alone, but if you want to go with me I'd love to have your company." He told her, hiding a shy smile. He didn't know why he still feared rejection from her, maybe it was because he had felt rejected his entire life, but when he looked up at his wife she was giving him a smile.

"That would be wonderful. A little get-away from the farm and a little adventure too. I'll mark it on the calendar." She said enthusiastically.

"Well hell, if I knew it was that easy to get you to shopping for chickens I would have asked you a while ago." He teased her.

"I told you, I want you to be happy and I want you to tell me what you want to do." Alyssa insisted.

"So what are you gonna say if I want you to go hunting with me instead of Merle? You're much prettier than he is and I'd love to have you up in a deer stand with me." Daryl said.

Alyssa blushed with the "have you in a deer stand" comment, but she suddenly felt herself getting that feeling that she got each night when Daryl stripped down for bed. She then whispered back "you can have me anywhere you want Mr. Dixon."

Daryl almost spilled his coffee as his brain registered what Alyssa had just said to him in the sultriest tone he had ever heard. "Ain't gonna be too much were gonna be able to do today because of the weather."

Alyssa just smiled and gave him a wink. It may have been cold outside, but things were definitely heating up inside.

…

Alyssa was moaning Daryl's name as he took her from behind. They were moving at a painfully slow pace as he was making slow and deliberate thrusts within her soaking womanhood. His hands were cupping her breasts while his finger tips were massaging her taut nipples.

The slight chill in the house was long forgotten as a slight sheen of sweat covered both Daryl and his wife. Alyssa felt like she might explode as Daryl's slow pace continued to torture her body. She found herself grinding against his crotch, trying to encourage him to move deeper and faster, but he wasn't going to let her rush one of the most pleasurable sexual experiences he had ever had.

"Be patient baby" he whispered into her ear in a voice that almost sent her over the edge. All she could do was nod as words wouldn't form in her brain.

Daryl shifted his hips just slightly and Alyssa let out a gasp of pleasure as he realized this slight shift was now hitting her spot perfectly. The way that her walls were clasping down around his member was causing him to struggle with keeping the teasing pace. He couldn't help but whimper out her name as he felt the sensation inside of him building. He began to quicken his thrusts and Alyssa began to buck her body back against him, seeking a powerful release.

As he pushed deeper and faster into her she begged "touch me." He moved his hands from her breasts and placed one hand on her left hip so that he could push into her with even more force. He then took his right hand, slipped it between her silky folds, and moved his fingers so that he could rub light circles around her engorged nub. These actions were all she could take as she lost herself in an orgasm that made her legs shake and her walls tighten around Daryl's cock like a hot vice. As she screamed out his name he felt the fire in his belly explode and he quickly followed behind her in a powerful orgasm of his own, feeling his seed spurt from his body into Alyssa. Once the aftershocks of his orgasm finally settled he pulled himself from her and then collapsed onto the bed, pulling Alyssa into his arms with him.

"Dear God, that was so…" She couldn't even come up with words.

"Yeah, it was." Daryl replied as he ran his fingertips over her upper arms. The radio was playing in the other room and the only sounds that they could hear was the sleet outside tapping slightly on the windows, the big band music playing softly, and their labored breathing as they tried to catch their breath. With all of their daily responsibilities handled, and the weather outside preventing them from doing much of anything else, Daryl and Alyssa both slipped into a cozy afternoon nap with a satisfied smile on each of their faces.

…

The next morning Alyssa was down at the dairy to feed and milk the cows when Beth walked into the barn a little slower and quieter than usual. The first thing that she noticed was that the tiny girl was wearing boots that had to have been Merles.

"Beth honey, why aren't you wearing your shoes?" She asked.

Normally Beth's eyes were expressive and full of joy, but when she went to respond Alyssa noticed that there was a pained expression on the young woman's face. "My shoes don't fit and I've got nothing else to wear. Nothing fits any more. Even the maternity dresses are getting snug on my arms. To make matters worse I feel like there are a couple of kangaroos hopping around in my head and making me dizzy."

"Why are you even down here Beth? Come on lets get you to the house and let me check you out." Alyssa insisted.

"Alyssa I don't want to put you out. It's fine…I think." Beth admitted.

"How long have you had the headache and dizziness?" Alyssa asked now in a concerned tone.

"Since Thursday, when y'all came over for dinner. I'm pretty sure I know what it is, but I was hoping it might go away." Beth said in a worried tone.

Alyssa walked with Beth back to the home and thankfully, Merle was in town with Daryl getting supplies for their trip on Monday.

"Stay here and don't move, I'm going to run down to the house and get my medical bag and then I'm going to do a thorough examination." Alyssa told Beth and Beth simply nodded, obvious worry on her face.

Alyssa returned shortly with her medical bag and gave Beth an examination. Beth could see Alyssa's brow furrow after she had checked Beth's blood pressure and Beth knew that her assumptions were right.

"Preeclampsia is what I suspect." Alyssa told her in a serious tone, and try as she might, Beth couldn't hold back the tears.

"Am I gonna lose my baby?" She said as the sobs began. Alyssa grabbed Beth into an embrace trying to comfort her.

"No Beth, but we are going to have to do some things to prevent this from happening. The first thing is you are going to have to rest a lot more than you are doing now. I'll talk to Merle, but Clarissa, Hannah, and I are going to help out around here so you don't need to worry about the farm or keeping up with you household chores." Alyssa informed her.

"I can't just be useless." Beth said in one of the most pitiful voices Alyssa had ever heard.

"You won't be useless Beth. You just can't be on your feet all day. You're job right now is to do everything you can to keep this baby safe. You've still got a ways to go in your pregnancy and we don't want to do anything to jeopardize that. You're going to need to rest most of the day, drink a lot of water, and avoid salt at all costs." Alyssa told her in her best doctor's tone.

"What? I'm Southern, you can't cook without salt." Beth said in an irrational voice.

"Beth…I'm being serious. This is your baby and we can't risk anything. I'm serious though, we will all help out. I'll even talk to Maggie about it. We are all one big family now, and when someone in our family needs help, we all step up. When I was in the hospital it was you, Hannah, and Clarissa that were there for me when I couldn't take care of myself. Now it's my turn to repay you for what you did." Alyssa said in a heartfelt voice.

Once again Beth was reduced to nodding as she tried hard to fight off the tears that were sliding down her cheeks. "Merle is going to be so mad at me." Beth finally whimpered.

"Oh honey, you are so wrong. Merle will be concerned and probably over protective of you, but he isn't going to be mad. I will talk to him and explain everything and I am sure he will be fine. Merle's no fool Beth. He knows you are the best thing to ever happen to him and he isn't going to waste time being mad about something he has no control over. I promise." Alyssa reassured Beth.

Beth finally calmed down and Alyssa helped her to settle in her bed while preparing her a mug of warm tea.

"I just called Hannah, and she and Clarissa are coming over to sit with you for a while. Give me a list of the books you like to read and I will pick them up for you at the General store Monday when I go to town. You might as well make yourself comfortable since you've still got a little bit of time until you deliver this baby." Alyssa told Beth.

"I can't thank you enough for this Alyssa." Beth said. "Do you ever miss this? Not practicing medicine?"

Alyssa thought for a moment before she replied "Sometimes, but I like being a wife better. Right now I just like taking care of Daryl and working on the farm. Farm work is in my blood, and I guess it never leaves. Maybe in a few years I'll open up another practice, but for now I'm happy."

"Well I appreciate you taking care of me as long as you don't mind." Beth told her.

"I don't mind one bit Beth. Between me and Rosita I think you are going to deliver a nice healthy baby." Alyssa told Beth in the most comforting tone she could muster.

…

When Alyssa walked back to the house Merle and Daryl were taking inventory of the supplies they had purchased and loading them into the bed of Alyssa's truck. She was going to miss the truck, but she hadn't paid that much for it, and knew it was going to a much better cause.

"Hey" Daryl said as he ran over to Alyssa and gave her a kiss on the cheek while taking her medical bag from her. "Everything OK?" He then asked.

"Merle, I need to talk to you about Beth in the house." Alyssa replied, immediately noticing the panic on Merle's face.

"Is it the baby?" Merle responded quickly.

"Yes and no, just come in the house and let me explain." She told him, and he and Daryl quickly followed her into the house. Merle was so nervous he refused to sit when Alyssa told him to sit down at the table so she could explain what was going on with Beth.

Alyssa went through a detailed explanation of what Preeclampsia was and the effects that it was having on Beth's body. Merle looked like he could burst into tears at any moment. Daryl looked worried, but didn't say anything. The last thing he wanted was for something bad to happen to Merle that could possibly set him off and send him down the wrong path again. He quickly shook those thoughts from his mind reminding himself that Merle was a much different person now than he was a year ago and he had to trust that Merle could get through something like this.

When Alyssa was done explaining Merle was silent for a moment. Then he spoke "Doc, is she gonna die?"

"No Merle, I won't let that happen. Look, she has all of us to look after her, and we've caught this before it got out of hand. She's just going to need to take it easy, and you are going to need to be strong and supportive to her. She's fine to go to Church on Sundays, and she can do some light duties around the house. And by light, I mean she can maybe cook a meal a day or maybe wash some dishes, but no heavy lifting and no laundry. You just need to be sure she watches what she eats and that she drinks plenty of fluids. Do you think you can handle that?" Alyssa asked him.

Merle swallowed the lump in his throat and replied " Course I can. She ain't gonna need to worry about a thing. So the baby…?"

"…Is fine right now. I heard a healthy heart beat and Beth can still feel it moving around. Merle this isn't uncommon with a first pregnancy, but we just need to be cautious." She said as she moved to give him a comforting hug. She could see the worry etched on his face, but that was to be expected.

…

Merle couldn't get home fast enough to see Beth. He burst through the house and Hannah and Clarissa were there preparing dinner. Hannah pointed to their bedroom and Merle rushed in to find her asleep, laying on her left side. He toed off his boots and slipped into bed behind her, tenderly pulling her into his arms.

She awoke from her slumber and whispered a "hello" to him. He just pulled her into his chest a little tighter. "Spoke to the Doc and she told me everything." He whispered back to her.

"Are you mad?" Beth asked in a slightly nervous tone.

Merle looked at her like she had grown a second head. "Mad? Why would I be mad? Beth I love you more than anything and you are carrying our child. I'm worried and I'm scared but I sure as hell ain't mad." He assured her.

"But this is going to put so much on you over the next few months. We've got planting to do, and you've got heifers that are going to be calving soon and you are gonna need help." She said in an almost panicked voice.

"Stop it Beth." He told her. The way he said her name made Beth realize how serious he was.

"Right now your only job is to keep you and the baby healthy. I can handle everything else." He replied as he placed a soft kiss on her cheek.

"How did I get so lucky to end up with a man like you Merle Dixon?" Beth asked as she relished in the feeling of his strong arms wrapped around her.

"I think I'm the lucky one darling." Merle said, fighting back tears that he rarely ever shed. "You told me I was stuck with you forever, and I ain't gonna let you go back on the deal."

"That makes two of us. I love you Merle." She said as she soon began to drift off to sleep feeling hopeful for the first time in a few days.

…

Alyssa and Daryl headed back to the dairy to pick up where she and Beth had left off. Daryl realized that Merle was probably going to be with Beth the rest of the day, and he didn't blame his brother one bit. If it had been Alyssa that was in Beth's situation, he would want to be with her as well. Daryl let his mind drift for a moment and think about the real possibility of he and Alyssa becoming parents. He knew Alyssa wanted to have a child more than anything, and he wanted to have one with her as well. But then he also let himself think about all the complications that could happen during pregnancy and child birth as well. Jess and Hannah lost two children to sickness, and he knew for a fact cemeteries were full of women that had died in child birth. He hadn't had Alyssa in his life long enough to let her go, and the fear of something happening to her like what was happening to Beth and Merle was almost over whelming. The only solace that Daryl found was the fact that Alyssa was a doctor and she would know what to do. He would never deny her the opportunity to have a child, but it didn't mean that it didn't scare him to death.

It was mid afternoon by the time Daryl and Alyssa had taken care of all the extra farm chores and they headed back up to their house. Alyssa encouraged Daryl to change his clothes and wash up while she told him she would make them a light lunch, since they would be eating dinner in just a few hours.

Alyssa heated up some stew left over from the previous evening and sliced up some left over cornbread as well. It wasn't anything fancy, but Daryl never seemed to complain about her cooking. She set the table and then pulled out a few scraps of meat and put them on a plate and headed out to the front porch.

There had been a skinny yellow barn cat that had started showing up at the house shortly after Alyssa moved in, and Alyssa had adopted him and even named him Buttercup. Each day she would put out a little bit of food for the little fellow and now she could see he was beginning to fatten up. Over the past few weeks she had the life scared out of her a few times when Buttercup had decided he needed to bring his new mother a nice gift- generally either a dead mouse or a dead bird. The bird didn't bother her so much, but Alyssa was not fond of mice and rats, and unfortunately growing up on a farm you had to learn to live with both.

Daryl emerged from the bathroom dressed in some brown pants and his undershirt. His hair still hung damp, a little longer than most men wore theirs, but it seemed to suit him and Alyssa wasn't going to complain. He had trimmed up his facial hair and to Alyssa, there was nothing more manly than her husband when he was freshly bathed and just being 'Daryl'.

They ate their lunch in a comfortable silence as they listened to the afternoon radio show. The brief warm up and sunshine from earlier in the day was giving away to yet another cold and blustery afternoon. Daryl wondered if they were in for more sleet or snow, he had hoped that the weather would hold out until after they got Noah and his family on their way to Virginia.

As they were finishing up their lunch there was a knock on the door and Daryl answered it to find Tyreese standing on the front porch. He had been working on the old house with his small crew and asked Daryl if he and Alyssa wanted to come up and take a look at the work they had done over the past week. Daryl looked to Alyssa for affirmation, and she nodded an enthusiastic 'yes'.

Daryl put on a flannel shirt and jacket and Alyssa wrapped a sweater around her as they headed out to the truck and drove the quarter of a mile up the path to the old farmhouse. The first thing that Daryl noticed was that the front porch had been fully re-built and fresh sturdy wood stood where old rotted wood had stood just a week before. The front door had been replaced and the windows were new as well. Alyssa breathed in the scent of the fresh wood and couldn't help but smile. This was going to be her home with Daryl and based on just the week's worth of work that Tyreese had done, it was going to be amazing.

Inside the house was in tear down stage. The fire place was being strengthened and re-mortared and the floors were being re-surfaced. The holes in the wall were in the process of being patched and the floor had holes cut in it for the new plumbing and central heat.

"Looks good Tyreese. Y'all have done a lot more work than I would have expected." Daryl said to the giant of a man.

"I found something out back I think Miss Alyssa might like. We were looking for a place to put the septic tank and we found an old rose garden underneath the Kudzu vines. Looks like the bushes are still healthy and if you clean up the weeds you might have a nice sitting area out back. Might be a nice place to watch the sunrise." Tyreese told her.

The mention of the rose garden triggered a rare and happy childhood memory for Daryl. He remembered one time seeing some pink roses growing and he picked a few (even though his grandmother had told him he needed to be careful because of the thorns) and had run all the way up to the house to present the pretty flowers to his mother. By the time he had reached the house half the petals had fallen off, but when he handed them to his mother she told him they were the prettiest flowers she had ever seen. She placed them in an old coffee can and sat them in the center of the kitchen table. Merle teased him about being 'girly' picking those flowers, but Daryl just thought his brother was jealous because Momma liked the flowers so much. He just knew he was proud that he had given his mother a reason to smile. It was just a few weeks later that Daryl lost his mother, but the memory of her reaction to those flowers put a smile on his face even to this day.

"Thank you Tyreese for letting us know. I will be sure to go out there and get that garden cleaned up. I might even start before we move into the house. Snakes will be out in a few months and I don't want to be climbing through the weeds knowing they are active." She said as a shiver ran through her body. She hated mice and rats, but she was terrified of snakes.

…

That evening Daryl was sitting down on the couch reading a book on poultry husbandry and Alyssa was working on knitting a blanket while they listened to the Edgar Bergen-Charlie McCarthy show on the radio. Daryl was finding it hard to concentrate on reading as he listened along with the broadcast and he found himself laughing at the witty humor of the comedian and ventriloquist. Alyssa was down right in tears from laughing herself. She had taken a bath after dinner and now had her hair pinned up in curlers in preparation for church in the morning. The weather was still bitterly cold, but the precipitation had held off and they were all anxious to go to Church to see Merle get ordained as a Deacon. Daryl was still in disbelief, but he was also extremely proud of what Merle had become. It seemed like with Will out of their lives he and Merle could finally start to restore the Dixon name.

The next morning Daryl got up early and told Alyssa not to worry about handling any of her farm chores because he would handle them. He went down to the dairy and was surprised to find Merle there before him.

"Thought you would be staying with Beth before church." He stated.

"She's still sleeping and I wanted to make sure everything got handled out here before the service. I reckon our heifers will be calving within the next two weeks. I'm gonna need to go down to the feed and seed and pick up some extra supplies. Reckon I can do it after we get this thing with Noah taken care of." Merle said.

"How's Beth?" Daryl asked his brother pointedly.

"Better now. Scared to death, but not saying a word about it. She was worried I'd be mad at her. I ain't gonna lie though baby brother, I'm probably more scared than she is. If she and the baby make it through this pregnancy and birth, we're done. I ain't gonna take that risk again." Merle said and Daryl let out a laugh.

"You do realize what you just committed yourself too don't you? No more intimacy with your wife? Does that really make sense Merle? Alyssa told you that this is more common with first pregnancies, and if Beth is anything like Alyssa she ain't gonna want to give up…well, you know." Daryl said blushing.

Merle let out a small laugh "Yeah, I know what you mean…the Dixon loving. It's just…I'm can't lose her Daryl. It seems I waited all these years for her, and…"

"I know…I was thinking the same thing last night. Having babies is risky, but there are lots more women that have healthy babies than those who don't. Momma had two healthy babies in spite of the shit she had to deal with. Hannah's babies were all born healthy, but the two boys got sick, but medicine has gotten a whole lot better over the past ten years. If everyone is thinking like we are thinking right now then whole damn population would die out." Daryl said remembering his thoughts from the previous night. It was amazing what a night of sleep could do to your clarity on the matters at hand.

"So the doc thinks Beth is gonna be OK?" Merle asked.

"Yeah Merle, she does." Daryl assured his brother.

"Y'all trying for one?" Merle asked, knowing that the question most likely would embarrass Daryl, but they were brothers and as far as Merle thought nothing was off limits.

"We ain't doing nothing to stop it. Alyssa wants a baby real bad, and each month when…you know, her cycle comes on, she cries. It's about time for another crying fit to the best of my recollection. Maybe there is something wrong with me and I can't make a baby. I've been such a fuck up through out my life it wouldn't surprise me." Daryl confessed.

"Trust me…sometimes these things take time. When I think back to all the carousing I did before Beth, it's a damn miracle I ain't got no little Merle's running around." Merle told Daryl.

Daryl just let out a laugh "Thank God for that."

…

The front two pews were filled up with Dixons, Grimes, and Greene family members. This was a big day for Merle and his entire family. Beth was dressed in a navy blue maternity dress that Hannah had made the night before after learning that none of Beth's clothes were fitting her anymore. She had her hair pulled back in a red snood and red winter coat (also from Hannah) and Alyssa thought Beth looked radiant. Shortly before they left for church this morning Alyssa had stopped by and checked on Beth, and was pleased that the swelling had reduced greatly and Beth's blood pressure was just slightly high. It would appear that the rest and fluids were helping with the Preeclampsia.

Alyssa was wearing a tan suit with her hair pulled up on the sides in an updo, but her chocolate curls were cascading down her back. A simple set of pearl earrings and a pearl choker finished out her look. Of course, with the cold weather she was also wearing the cream coat that Daryl (with the help of Maggie) had purchased for her. Daryl had on gray slacks and a white button up shirt, but this morning Merle was wearing a brand new Gray suite, crisp white oxford, and a red tie. The man looked proud as a peacock and you couldn't wipe the smile from his face. After Alyssa's examination of Beth that smile just got bigger.

After the welcoming Hymn, Pastor Jimmy stood up and was making the general church announcements while Alyssa zoned out for a moment and took a look at her church bulletin. She almost did a double take when she noticed the date printed on the top of the literature.

She thought to herself form a moment "No, it can't be right?" She must have shifted in her seat because the next thing she knew Daryl was looking at her with concern.

He whispered "What's wrong?"

"Nothing…I think. I gotta check something when we get home." She told him with a strange look on her face. Daryl continued to look at her with suspicion, but she patted his knee and just told him she would talk to him when they got home.

They were both brought out of their conversation as the Pastor cleared his throat and spoke "As many of you know we have been in search of a new doctor for our town. I would like to introduce our new physician and his family. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Doctor Peter Anderson, his wife Jessica and their two sons Ronald and Samuel."

When the doctor and his wife made their way up to the pulpit Alyssa had to fight back a cringe. Pete Anderson had worked for some time at the hospital in Canton, and they had not interacted well. The man refused to treat Alyssa as an equal and would often refer to her as Nurse Cambridge. When she would correct him, he would just laugh at her and tell her that he refused to accept the fact that she was a capable physician.

Then there were the times that she would smell alcohol on his breath, or the shaking of his hands when he was about to perform surgery. She thought he was dangerous and when she expressed her concerns to the Chief of Staff, she was told she needed to learn her place and let it drop. To be honest, her interaction with Dr. Anderson helped her make her decision to leave Canton and move to Holly Springs. Of course, that move had been a blessing in a sense because if she had not moved here she wouldn't have met Daryl.

As she sat in her seat quietly seething, she observed Pete's family. There was a smile on his wife's face, but that smile didn't meet her eyes, and the youngest boy Samuel looked down right scared of the man. She had once heard a rumor from one of the nurses that Dr. Anderson had abused his oldest son Ron, and had even broken the boy's arm. However, the nurse who had mentioned it was quickly removed from the staff at the hospital and nothing further was ever mentioned. All Alyssa knew at this moment was that Holly Springs was not in good hands medically. A sense of guilt washed over her, but she quickly let it go realizing it wasn't her responsibility to worry about such things. She did know one thing though, if she needed medical care herself, she would make the drive to Canton and seek another physician…anyone, in her opinion, would be better than Pete Anderson.

Alyssa put the negative thoughts of Pete Anderson to the back of her mind when Pastor Jimmy started to speak again. "Today is a very special day for our congregation, as I get to present to you my nomination for our new Deacon. We as a church have been through quite a bit over the past six months, and I hope that my selection of this person as a representative of our church is a start in the healing process. I'd like to ask our other deacons to please join me up on the platform. Hershel, Tobin, and Mayor Horvath please come up."

The three gentlemen had walked up to the platform to join the young preacher and then Jimmy continued "We are all sinners and anyone who thinks they are not a sinner needs to read their bible. But one of the gifts that God gives us is forgiveness. As I prayed to the Lord to help me in making this decision one name came to me over and over. That name is Merle Dixon. Merle, can you please stand and join us up here?"

Merle stood proudly, but also a bit nervous. Never in a million years would Merle believe he would be considered good enough to be nominated as a Church Deacon. Hell, he wondered if anyone in all of Holly Springs would have imagined such a thing. But here he was…his father in law standing up in the Pulpit with a proud smile on his face, while his wife and mother in law were wiping away tears as Merle was making his way up the steps to join the others. Even Daryl gave him a firm nod, letting him know that not only was he proud of his brother, but that he agreed with Merle's decision to accept the church position.

When Merle was standing beside the pastor, Jimmy placed his hand on Merle's shoulder and then directed the other deacons to do the same. They all prayed for Merle and asked God to help guide Merle through his role as a church leader and Merle listened and hung on every word that was spoken. Merle had done a lot of things in his life, and most of them were definitely not 'church worthy,' but this was something all together different. He was being asked to be a leader, and an example to others. He had to give the pastor credit, for some reason the young man could see past all of Merle's flaws and saw something good in the older man. The only person who ever saw him that way was Beth, and she was sitting proudly in the front row watching her husband get the recognition she always thought he deserved.

When they were done praying over Merle, Jimmy asked him "Merle, as a Deacon, you will be asked to defend God's word, mentor to others, and to help lead and guide this congregation through all of the trials and tribulations that Satan may present. We all know you served as a Soldier through one of history's most horrific times, and now you will be called to take up arms against the evil that lurks in this town and this world. You're sword is you bible, and your armor is your Faith. We are all the army of God, but we need good strong leaders. Do you accept this calling Merle?"

Merle swallowed hard, still hanging on every word that Jimmy had spoken. He was feeling emotional, and feeling this way in front of an entire church left him feeling vulnerable, yet empowered as well. Throughout his life there had been very few accolades that had come Merle's way. No one ever recognized that Merle had practically raised his baby brother since the age of twelve, instead they saw the kid who got caught shoplifting, never asking why he was stealing food. The didn't see the man who read every book he could while he was incarcerated so that he could learn how to run a dairy, but instead they had just seen a bootlegger who deserved to be in prison. When Merle and Beth had started to court many saw Merle as a cradle robber who was taking advantage of the naïve Greene girl, not the man who rebuffed Beth's attempt to get him to take her innocence before marriage. Now it seemed that finally someone was seeing Merle for the man he had become, and probably always had been, but had kept it hidden deep so that he could hide his vulnerability. After all, he had been told by his own father that Dixon's don't show weakness, and Merle had come to believe that kindness and caring were weakness. Of course, he now knew that this was just another of Will Dixon's lies. So with great pride Merle spoke loudly "I accept the challenge Pastor."

Jimmy then turned to the congregation "Is there anyone here who has any objections?" Merle held his breath, but was rewarded with silence.

"Very well, everyone I would like to present our newest Deacon, Merle Dixon." People began to applaud and stand, and soon a line had formed and people in the congregation came up to congratulate Merle, and offer him words of support. He also received many handshakes and hugs. Even Daryl gave his brother a hug and told him how proud he was of him. It looked like the Dixon Boys were finally being associated with something beside their drunk of a father, and it felt good.

…

After the emotional roller coaster of the Sunday morning service Alyssa was only focused on one thing. She wanted to get home and check the calendar hanging up on the back of the bathroom door. She had meticulously kept up with her monthly cycle and for some reason, this month she hadn't really thought about it. When she saw the date on the Church Bulletin, she couldn't believe that mentally she was running a week behind.

Daryl senses something was up with her, but when he asked her again, she told him that she would explain it to him as soon as they got home. When they pulled into the driveway of the house Alyssa practically jumped out of the truck while it was still moving and then she hurried Daryl along to come in and open up the front door. If it had been anyone other than Alyssa, Daryl probably would have given them a tongue lashing for being so damn impatient.

As soon as they were in the house Alyssa ran into the bathroom and shut the door. Daryl thought maybe she was sick on her stomach or something, so he waited for a minute or so, and then asked "You feeling all right?"

Alyssa walked out of the bathroom with a strange look on her face. Daryl cocked an eyebrow trying to figure out what was going on.

"Alyssa, You gotta tell me what is up with you? You know I ain't good at reading things when it comes to women." He said.

She looked up at him with those big eyes of hers "Daryl…I'm a week late."

"Late for…Shit, really." He said.

"Really. Now I don't know if it means anything just yet, but I've always been on time. Let's wait a week and see what happens, but I think there is a good chance that I'm pregnant." She said in a guarded, but excited manner.

Daryl looked like a deer in headlights. For a moment he swayed then staggered and Alyssa ran to steady him. "Maybe I should be asking you if you are OK." She teased.

"A baby…Alyssa we might be having a baby. I don't want to wait a week. Tomorrow we can go to Canton and find out. Heck, can we call Rosita? She'd know wouldn't she, or the new doctor in town."

"It will be a cold day in hell before I EVER see Dr. Anderson for anything." She said emphatically.

"What? You know him or something?" Daryl asked her, slightly distracted from what Alyssa had just told him.

"Too well. He's an alcoholic with violent tendencies. I think he abuses his wife and children, and when I worked with him at the hospital in Canton he treated me horribly. To say he has issues with women is an understatement. He wouldn't accept the fact that I was a doctor and not a nurse. Drove me crazy." She told Daryl.

"OK, we won't see him. How about Rosita?" Daryl asked.

"She's good at delivering babies and helping women in their pregnancies, but she isn't a doctor. There are a few particular exams you need to do to verify pregnancy, and I don't think she is familiar with the procedures." Alyssa told him.

"Ain't there something with a rabbit? I could go catch a rabbit." Daryl said in a serious tone.

Alyssa was now trying hard not to laugh at Daryl's impatience. "No Daryl. Even if you got the rabbit, they would then have to wait a few days and then cut the rabbit open to find out if the ovaries are swollen. It's not worth killing a bunny over, especially when we can have rabbit stew instead. If you are so determined to find out, I will call Milton and schedule an appointment. But until we know for sure, not a word to anyone. I don't want to get my hopes up and I certainly don't want to tell anyone and then have them ask me questions later only to find out it's a false alarm. OK?"

"I ain't real thrilled about you seeing him as a Doc. I don't think he likes me and I think he loves you. Anyhow, Can you do it tomorrow?" Daryl insisted.

"You and Merle are gonna be gone tomorrow, so why don't we do it on Tuesday. Will that work?" She asked him.

Daryl quickly rushed to her and pulled her into almost a bear hug. "I love you. We'll find out Tuesday when I get back, but I want you to promise me one thing." He said seriously.

"What is it Daryl?" She responded.

"Take it easy. I don't want you having no complications like Beth is having. If me and Merle gotta hire help for the farm, then so be it. Neither of you need to take any risks." Daryl told her in a very insistent tone.

"Daryl, I might be pregnant, but I'm not an invalid. Many women work on farms up until they deliver their babies. Hard work can be very healthy for a pregnancy as long as you don't push yourself to the point of hurting you or the baby. We'll be fine Daryl, and I think I know enough about my body to know if I'm pushing too hard." She told him trying to reassure him. She may have known more about the mechanics of pregnancy than most, but as far as the emotional part, both her and Daryl were on the same page. This was something exciting and terrifying at the same time.

"I'll let you make the decisions…for now. But if I start to see you pushing yourself too hard, I'm gonna pull you off the farm and hire someone. Maybe even put Clarissa and Carl to work out there." He said.

"Well promise me again you won't say anything until we know for sure." She said as she placed a kiss on his cheek. Daryl couldn't help it, but he reached out and splayed his hand across her belly and smiled.

"I ain't gonna lie to ya Alyssa, I'm scared to death, but I'm excited as hell too. All I know is I wanna know right now, but we'll find out on Tuesday. Just make sure Milton will see ya. I'm gonna be with you every time you go to your appointments, even if the crazy doc looks down his nose at me like he always does." Daryl told her.

"I still think you are being a bit paranoid about Milton. I think it's just his social awkwardness. Once you get to really know him he is pretty harmless, but a lot of people say he is strange and that his bedside manner is lacking. All I know is that he is a hell of a good doctor and researcher. I honestly had hoped he would have taken the Research position at Johns Hopkins, but for some reason he didn't." Alyssa said.

Daryl just gave out a grunt. He had often wondered if Milton had turned down the research position in Philadelphia because Alyssa had turned down her offer. For some reason Daryl always felt that Milton had romantic feelings for Alyssa, and those feelings were the reason that he treated Daryl the way that he did. Daryl figured the guy was jealous, because Daryl knew he would be if the tables were reversed. But that didn't mean that Daryl was happy about Alyssa seeing him as a patient. Especially with the baby stuff. Daryl didn't want to think about it, but he had a pretty good idea of what type of exam Alyssa would have to go through, and the idea of Milton having his hands on his wife ' _ **there**_ ' didn't sit well with him. He was going to be sure he was with her at all times during her exams, just to make sure the doctor kept it professional.

"Dunno, but I do know one thing, I will be glad to get this deal over with Noah and not have to worry about it anymore. He's a great kid and his family has been appreciative of everything we have done, but every time Merle or I go up there we are risking someone finding out where he is hiding. It will be good to know they are somewhere safe and happy." Daryl said.

"Just one more day Daryl, and then we can focus on us. Just promise me one thing, if they tell me I'm not pregnant, just be there for me, because you know I will fall to pieces." She told him in earnest.

"We'll get through this one way or another. Good or bad, we handle it as a team. OK." Daryl said, and once again he pulled Alyssa to him and couldn't help but wonder if there truly was a baby Dixon in her womb.

 **So I am so glad that people are still reading this story, especially after the long hiatus. So…is Alyssa preggers or not? Dun Dun Dun….A lot of action coming up next chapter…so stay tuned and PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE leave me a review and let me know what you think. The encouragement goes a long way with keeping me inspired.**

 **A very special thanks to the following for their reviews and fantastic support. I really love you guys!**

 **.2017**

 **Avaleigh1**

 **Smilejul**

 **Miss October 13**

 **nikole salvatore**

 **Love and Kisses-**

 **Missy**


	20. Chapter 20

As the family gathered for their normal Sunday afternoon dinner at Hannah and Jess's, Daryl and Alyssa couldn't quite contain the elation that she might be in the family way. Soft kisses on the cheek, hand pats on the knee, and Daryl waiting on Alyssa hand an foot. As promised, they didn't say anything, but Merle noticed the little extra bits of affection and knew something was up with them. He just assumed the couple had fooled around before heading over for dinner. Alyssa did seem like she was in a bit of hurry to get out of church after the service and Merle laughed silently at the thought of prim and proper woman being a little bit of a she-devil with his baby brother. At least they were happy and that was all that mattered with Merle.

After dinner the men gathered outside on the porch to enjoy some cigars that Jess had purchased on a trip to Atlanta earlier in the week. Jess spoke as he lit up his cigar "Heard some news y'all ain't gonna be to happy about."

"What is it?" Merle asked.

"You're daddy got married a month or so back, and it looks like he's gonna be a poppa again." Jess replied. Merle and Daryl both stared at their uncle in utter disbelief.

"You're fucking kidding me." Daryl replied.

"Wish I was. He married that red headed harlot who thinks your daddy hangs the moon." Jess informed them.

"Shit, I didn't even think he could still get it up." Merle said crassly.

"Merle shut up." Daryl said quickly as the thought of his father procreating made Daryl sick to his stomach. "He ain't fit to be a father…I mean look what he did to…"

"I know Daryl- It ain't right, but what can we do?" Jess said.

"Prove him unfit, take the kid away…we gotta protect that child." Daryl said again, a bit more emotional than he wanted to sound.

Merle knew that as bad as he had it as a kid, Daryl had it worse and both the physical and mental scars of Will's abuse still lingered with Daryl. He didn't blame Daryl one bit for his concern about the unborn child. But Jess was right, what could they do? Even if some miracle happened and Will was deemed an unfit parent, that didn't mean that Paula was unfit. He knew very little about the abrasive red-head, but he did know that she had been a mother before, and had lost her children to sickness. Maybe the loss of her kids made her crazy enough to believe that Will was her savior, but that didn't mean she was unfit. The truth of the matter was that he and Daryl were going to have a half-sibling if the child survived the pregnancy. As much as he wanted to say he didn't care and that what Will did these days didn't affect him, he knew that this innocent child was his blood, just like Daryl and just like Jess.

Hershel then spoke, surprising everyone. "Look, I know both of you boys have bad blood with Will…and for good reason, but that doesn't mean you can't have a relationship with the child. Maybe you can come up with some sort of truce with your father and his wife, just so you can be civil. You would be able to make sure the child was protected and not subjugated to the same type of 'circumstances' both of y'all experienced."

Rick added "If I catch him so much as spitting on a sidewalk I can have him arrested, maybe get him sent away for a while. The only thing is your daddy is just smart enough to stay out of trouble."

Shane then added, "Unless Gorman's on duty, then it seems like no one who's white commits a crime. Speaking of Gorman, has Abe been able to come up with anything yet on the lynchings? Once again, it was a Gorman-on-duty night and he didn't see anything out of the ordinary."

Rick just shook his head, but Glenn spoke up "The Forensic guy was in the store the other day, he's a strange bird."

Rick just chuckled, "Eugene? Yeah, I met him, but according to Abe he's good at what he does. Abe is helping though, because now I can focus on the daily activities in town while he focuses on these murders and lynchings. He's even looking into the accident with Reverend Samuels."

Merle then spoke "Man I have half a mind to bait the old man, but he seems to be pretty wise to that kind of thing when he's sober. Don't worry, he'll fall off the wagon like he always does."

"Yeah, but will it be too late then!" Daryl barked out.

Daryl was now pacing on the cold front porch like a caged tiger. He didn't like this one bit, his happiness that he himself might be a father now being clouded by who else but his own father. Maybe it would better to just not think about the situation with his pa. This kid wasn't his problem…was it? Of course it was and he knew it. But could he really forgive and forget as far as his father went? Will had been sober now for six months, but the man was still as mean as a snake, and Daryl didn't trust him. It seemed Will's life goal was to make Daryl's life a living hell, and he was still at it.

Hershel spoke again in a soothing tone, trying to calm Daryl down. "Just consider it Daryl. The Bible tells us to turn the other cheek."

" If you turn your cheek to Will Dixon he's just gonna slap it. I ain't making no promises. I gotta think on this. All I gotta say is whatever I decide, I ain't never gonna trust the old bastard." Daryl said in an angry tone. Right now all he wanted to do was take Alyssa and get as far away as possible, but if Alyssa and Merle had taught him anything, running away from his problems didn't fix them.

"Don't worry baby brother, none of us will trust the old man. We just gotta think on what we can do to protect the baby." Merle assured Daryl.

"Well the child will always be welcome in this home, but I'm not going to seek out a relationship with my brother thinking everything will be normal. I have to think about Hannah and Clarissa, and Will has never treated them with respect. Paula is welcome for now, but if she starts spouting out the same old rhetoric as Will, then she will not be tolerated." Jess said emphatically, and everyone agreed it was what was best.

…

While the men were out on the porch, Alyssa, Annette, Michonne, Rosita, Beth, Hannah, and Maggie were chatting away. Beth was complaining about being more or less bed bound, and the other's were trying their best to assure her that they would not only help her run her household, but that they would make sure she had plenty of company so she wouldn't be bored.

Rosita then turned to Maggie "So when are you and Glenn finally going to tie the knot?"

Maggie suddenly looked like she was going to cry "There are some complications with that." Annette reached out and patted her daughter on the hand, knowing what those complications were.

Alyssa looked at Maggie and then Maggie continued to speak "In Georgia a marriage between a white and a non-white is not recognized. Even if we were to get married in another state, if we returned they would invalidate the marriage."

Beth then spoke "But Glenn's not colored."

"It doesn't matter, anyone not of Caucasian blood is considered non- white as far as the state of Georgia is concerned." Maggie said tearfully.

Beth looked at Hannah "How did you and Jess manage to marry with you being of Cherokee descent?"

Hannah looked around to make sure Clarissa wasn't listening, then she spoke "We were married on the Reservation, but to be honest, the state doesn't recognize the marriage. If Jess were to pass away all of his estate would pass to Daryl and Merle. Clarissa is technically an illegitimate child."

Everyone gasped at the revelation. Michonne just shook her head, knowing that no matter how she and Rick felt about each other, unless the laws were re-written the would never legally be able to legitimize their relationship. The look of disappointment on her face was not missed by Alyssa. Alyssa then realized that there was probably a lot more to Michonne and Rick's relationship than just friendship. While it made Alyssa happy that the two had formed some sort of bond, it also saddened Alyssa to know that couple were facing an uphill battle if they wanted to be together.

Hannah then continued to explain "Jess and I don't need a piece of paper to prove that we are husband and wife…yes legally there are issues, but in the eyes of God, we are truly married."

Annette then spoke "Well there is no doubt in my mind how much you and Jess love each other, and I for one agree that a piece of paper isn't what makes you married. As far as Clarissa goes, she is far from illegitimate and I hope and pray one day that everyone will have a chance to be with who they want to be with, regardless of their race."

All the women nodded, and then Rosita spoke up "If…and this is a BIG if, Shane and I wanted to marry, I'd leave here and move somewhere else. Georgia isn't the only place in this country to live. Maggie, have you and Glenn considered relocating?"

"We've discussed it, but we don't know if we are going too. Glenn doesn't want to take me away from here." Maggie replied in a sad voice.

Annette then replied to her daughter "Honey, as much as we would miss you, if you and Glenn truly want to be married we would understand. The only thing your father and I want is for you to be happy."

"But I don't want to leave." Maggie said tearfully.

"You wouldn't be leaving Maggie, you would be living your life with the man you love. We can visit, and we can call…Its not like we would never see each other again." Beth said.

"But Beth- the baby…I want to see my niece or nephew grow up." Maggie told her, and Beth understood her sisters dilemma.

"Then why don't you and Glenn do what Jess and Hannah did? We have a ceremony and just don't file the paperwork. No one is going to question it and I am sure Reverend Jimmy would even perform the wedding." Alyssa asked.

Beth responded quickly "That's a perfect idea, and then when the laws change…and they will, you just file the legal paperwork."

Michonne replied softly "It could work…some folks around here might have issues with it, but then again folks in this town have problems with everything that ain't lily white."

Annette agreed "Maggie, we could do this. Normally I don't encourage my children to break the law, but in this case…well the law is blatantly stupid. Look at Jess and Hannah, they've been together now over twenty years and no one questions their relationship. Heck, most people don't even realize it's illegal. Let's do this."

Maggie looked up at the women and felt herself blessed to be surrounded by so many people who cared about her and supported her relationship with Glenn. "I'll talk to Glenn, but I think I would like that."

"Good, now let's get planning a wedding." Annette said as she embraced her daughter.

…

After dinner at Jess and Hannah's Rick and Michonne left Judith and Andre in the care of Clarissa and Carl. The duo had announced that they were going to the East side of town to check on progress and try to see if there was anything they could do to help with rebuilding. It had been nearly four months since the fire had rampaged eighty percent of the buildings and homes within a four block radius and very little had been done to repair the damage. It wasn't that the inhabitants didn't want to rebuild, it was the fact they didn't have the means to rebuild.

Father Gabriel was holding his church service under a tent, which considering it was winter was not the most ideal of situations. Somehow though, the folks in the ravaged east section of town still held things together and if someone was trying to break their faith, they failed miserably as the disaster only made their faith stronger.

Not everyone in this part of town fell below the poverty line. One man who had ran a successful farm was Morgan Jones. He was married to a striking woman named Jenny and had a fourteen year old son named Duane who reminded Rick a lot of Carl. Morgan, just like Father Gabriel was considered one of the leaders of the community. Since the fire the two had spent a lot of time together trying to come up with a way to get funding so that they could rebuild. Morgan had even gone so far as to approach the bank for a loan, but of course was denied before he even had a chance to file the paperwork.

Rick and Michonne had found the two gentlemen at the temporary parsonage discussing 'next steps' regarding how to find funding to rebuild and had been welcomed into the Pastor's home.

"Just thought we would stop by and see how things are going down here. We were hoping to see some progress in re-building, but it appears that not much has happened." Rick said as he sat down at the table with Michonne to his right.

Father Gabriel sighed "Our faith is being tested, but I believe that the Lord shall still provide for us."

Morgan let out a small laugh "No offense Father, but I believe it might be time for us to realize we are the only ones who can provide for ourselves." Then the man looked to Rick "If we can't come up with funding then this place is as good as a ghost town. The Quarry isn't set to re-open until late summer and people are going to leave to find a way of life elsewhere. They know with tensions this high that trying to find a job in the west part of town is out of the question. Many farmers in the area won't hire any coloreds in fear of retribution from the Klan and my farm is only so big."

"What can we do?" Michonne asked.

"We need help. We need donations, money, and most importantly volunteers. This is as bad as I have seen things. And the fact that there have been a few murders doesn't weigh well on people here. Folks are scared and unless someone steps up then I don't know what to do." Morgan said.

Rick then spoke to Gabriel "Have you spoken with any other church leaders in the area or surrounding communities?"

Gabriel shook his head in the negative. "It's the same with the other churches. They've heard about the Klan's hold on Holly Springs and the also fear retaliation. We are really at a loss here and I'm afraid what Morgan said is right. We might be looking at the last days of East Holly Springs." The pastor said solemnly.

Rick pondered on what Gabriel said and then looked at both men "Give me a week, and I'll be back. I've got someone I want to talk too that I think might help. I don't want to get your hopes up, but don't count everyone out. You are right, folks are scared, but that doesn't mean that no one is willing to help. They just might need to be spurred out of their fear and reminded of their good Christian responsibilities. Keep the faith men." Rick told them as he and Michonne left.

When they got in the Sheriff's patrol car Michonne looked to Rick "It's not fair to give them false hope."

"It's not false hope. I think our new Reverend might be able to work a few miracles with the help of our newest Deacon." Rick said, receiving a small but curious smile from Michonne.

…

Monday morning Daryl and Merle had both woke up two hours early and headed out to the farm to get their responsibilities handled for the day. It was once again bitterly cold and Daryl was afraid that it could start snowing or sleeting at any moment, but so far the weather had held off and he and Merle were scheduled for their trip up into the Mountains. Normally it took about an hour to reach the cabin, so Daryl was expecting for them to leave around noon, and be back before sunset, around five or so.

Around ten both men had finished their jobs and headed to their homes, with Daryl telling Merle he would drop Alyssa off with Beth so that could keep each other company while they were gone. Merle thought it was a good idea, as he was still nervous about Beth's health and the baby.

Daryl walked into the house and Alyssa fixed him a nice breakfast of bacon and grits along with a large cup of strong black coffee, just how Daryl liked it. He gave her a soft kiss on the cheek and once again found his hand subconsciously going to her belly, where his possible son or daughter might already be growing. Not knowing was driving him crazy, but they would find out tomorrow, and he figured waiting another day wouldn't kill him.

"It's freezing outside Daryl, make sure you wear something warm on your trip with Merle this afternoon. I would hate for something to happen and you be caught out in the weather without a coat or gloves." Alyssa said to her husband.

"Shit. I needed some new gloves. I reckon I'll be alright for today. There is heat in the truck and other than helping Noah and them pack up their belongings, we shouldn't be outside too long." Daryl assured her.

"So when should I expect you back?" Alyssa asked him.

"Before dark at the latest, even if the weather gets bad it shouldn't take us that long to get back. Figured we could snuggle up on the couch later on and talk about the house. I think we should set a budget on furniture and stuff so we don't go overboard. I've still got plenty in savings, but cotton prices might drop and we might not clear as much this season as we did last." Daryl informed her.

"Sounds fair, don't forget I've still got money from the sale of my land and also some of my inheritance from my uncle is still left. We' can use that if we have too." She reminded Daryl.

Daryl then let out a laugh "We'll save that for the kid's college fund. That is one thing I'm sure of, whether we have a boy or a girl they are going to go to college and get out of this town."

"Hey Mr. Dixon, I went to college and I happen to love this town. If I hadn't come here I wouldn't have met one very handsome farmer who doesn't like to speak that much. Well, that and the fact you cut your hand open and procrastinated getting it looked at. I'm just glad Merle ticked off Blake like he did, or you would have never stopped by my office that day." She teased him.

"Best damn thing Merle ever did I guess. Do you think we're crazy?" Daryl asked her out of the blue.

"Huh? Why would you ask that?" Alyssa asked him.

"We met each other in August, and here it is just over six months later and we are married and possibly expecting a baby. I mean, Yeah Merle and Beth had a short courtship, but they knew each other all of her life…is this normal?" Daryl asked in a serious tone.

"You are just now questioning are sanity? Is there something you are trying to tell me? You aren't having second thoughts are you?" Alyssa replied to him.

"Hell no, just wondering if we were normal." Daryl asked her again.

"The heart wants what it wants. I've had no regrets and I know that I love you more than I ever thought I could love another human being, including my own family Daryl. If anything were to happen to you I'd be lost and I would feel like there was an emptiness inside of me that could never be filled. I know things fell together for us really fast, but I loved the ride." She told him as she walked over to his chair and stood behind him while wrapping her arms around him in a warm embrace.

Daryl just breathed in all that was Alyssa. It felt so good to have her arms wrapped around him, and to feel her heart beating against his back. He could die right now and have no regrets.

"I love you Alyssa." Daryl said in a gravelly voice just above a whisper.

"Please hurry home after y'all are done and show me how much you love me Mr. Dixon." She purred.

Daryl leaned his head back against her and relished the feeling of her breasts as they brushed against him. Then he had a weird and sudden thought "What about the baby? Could I hurt it if we…you know?"

"Good Lord…you Dixon boys are just alike. Merle asked Beth the same thing. Unless you think you are going to be poking around in my uterus, I think we are safe Daryl. Intimate relations are very normal during pregnancy. Plus, at this point, the child is just a few cells growing in my womb. We can be together just as we always have been, though later on in the pregnancy certain 'positions' might be more difficult than others." She said, suddenly blushing.

Daryl was just relieved to know he could still be intimate with his wife. He did laugh though when he found out that Merle asked the same thing. Maybe he should have read more books on the subject coming up, but the closest he and Merle ever came to learning about reproduction was what they read in the Farmers guide on breeding.

After Daryl finished eating his breakfast he changed into a warm flannel shirt, and slipped on his jacket. He had checked the thermometer and the temperature read 29 degrees with a stiff North East wind. The clouds were turning dark and Daryl was just hoping the weather continued to hold off for just a few more hours. He had no problem convincing Alyssa to head to Beth's for the afternoon and she bundled up as well just for the short trek to the truck. She had told Daryl that she was going to help make Beth some maternity clothes since she had quickly outgrown the few she had purchased and that would keep the girls busy until the men returned.

He walked Alyssa into the house, greeted Beth, and then he and Merle left. They stopped one more time at Daryl's house to pick up Alyssa's truck for Merle to drive, and then the boys headed up to the Mountains to finally get Noah to a place where he and his family could be safe and happy.

As they took the Northward turn up towards the Mountains, Mitch spotted both trucks on the highway. This had been at least the fourth time he had spotted at least one of the Dixon's headed that way in the past two months. What really piqued his interest was with the weather being as bad as it was, he was surprised that either man would attempt to go towards the mountains, let alone both of the brothers. He looked at his watch waiting for Will to meet him. They had already planned on doing some reconnaissance work together to try to figure out if the younger Dixon's were indeed up to something like Will had suspected, and now Mitch had some knowledge that might make a difference.

Just a few minutes later Will pulled up in his truck beside Mitch and Mitch rolled down his window and asked him "Any reason why your sons would be heading up to the mountains in two vehicles loaded down with supplies in this weather?"

Will just looked at Mitch for a moment when a thought suddenly crossed his mind. "Get in, we'll grab Dave and Tony and then we are heading on an adventure."

"Where the hell are we going?" Mitch asked.

"Ever been to a cabin on the lake in the Mountains of Georgia in the middle of winter?" Will asked him.

"No." Mitch replied.

"Well get ready, looks like we might be doing a little bit of ice fishing." Will said, with a sneering smile on his face.

…

They were about half-way up to the cabin when the freezing rain started. It looked like they were in for one hell of an ice storm and Daryl was just thankful that they had not started planting the seedlings already. As he drove along he was letting his mind wander to the thoughts of fatherhood. He and Alyssa could turn the front upstairs bedroom into the nursery. It was directly across from the master bedroom and it received morning sunshine. They could paint the room white and then Alyssa could change the colors to either pink or blue once they knew whether they had a boy or a girl.

Daryl thought about whether he wanted a son or daughter, but he couldn't decide. If he had a son he could teach his boy all the things that Will hadn't taught him and show his boy the love he struggled so hard to find throughout his life. If he had a daughter he would spoil her rotten and dare any boy in the county to date his little girl. He was quite sure that his crossbow might help deter any young man from crossing boundaries as far his daughter went. Daryl let out a small laugh thinking about the future that he wasn't even sure was going to come to fruition. He was so eager to find out if Alyssa was expecting that he took his eyes off the road just long enough to feel the truck slide on the slick road. He quickly got control of the vehicle and calmed himself down so he could focus on his driving.

Daryl turned on the radio in the truck and listened to some music to help drown out the monotony of the slow drive. As he and Merle got closer to the cabin and the elevations changed, the freezing rain changed to sleet, and then finally snow. It looked like a winter wonderland, but Daryl was concerned that Noah and his family may have to wait until the morning to get on the road. Either way, the family now had their chance to get on with their lives and waiting another day wouldn't kill them.

Finally, three hours after leaving Daryl and Merle turned off the main road and headed down the secluded path that led to the little house on the lake. When they pulled up Daryl noticed the smoke in the fireplace and the fact that no one was outside. Usually the boys were running around, Noah's mother was washing laundry and Noah himself was doing what he could to keep their home over the past few months livable.

Daryl parked his truck and Merle parked Alyssa's truck beside him. Both men got out and stretched their legs after the long and treacherous drive and Daryl couldn't help but shiver in the cold weather, he really wish he had his gloves. Noah walked out on the porch with the shotgun in his hand, not sure of who was pulling up outside, and a look of relief crossed his face when he saw that it was Merle and Daryl. He beckoned both men into the cabin and neither man complained about getting out of the cold.

Once inside Noah's mom fussed over the two men and insisted on taking their coats and fixing them a cup of coffee, but Merle just shook his head. "Thanks ma'am but we really can't stay too long on account of the weather. We came by though with some good news for ya. We made a way so you can get out of this place and back to your people."

Noah then spoke "Are y'all gonna take us all the way to Richmond? It's asking a lot."

Daryl replied "Nah. Y'all are gonna take yourself. Alyssa is giving y'all her truck, and we took the liberty of filling it up with supplies. Merle's got a few hundred in cash to help cover any expenses and to help getting set up in your new place. I was thinking y'all would want to get out of here pretty quick, but seeing as how the weather is so bad, you might want to wait until the morning when hopefully it will clear up."

Noah stared at the men speechless, and then it was Noah's mother who grabbed Daryl and wrapped her arms around him. Daryl was stiff at first, but he gently patted her on the back, still not being fully comfortable with bodily contact outside of Alyssa or his family. "I can't believe you are doing this for me and my boys."

"Ain't no problem ma'am. What Noah told Daryl the other day was true, this ain't no kind of life and it just ain't safe yet for ya to be coming back to Holly Springs. This is the best solution for ya and we are just glad we can help. Us Dixon's ain't no stranger to being looked down upon, but we ain't never had a price on our heads, and that's why this is just the best option for everyone. This is something we wanted to do for ya, not charity and not out of guilt. Y'all deserve to live a good life, because you are good people, and we take care of good people." Merle said poignantly.

It was Merle's turn next to get a hug and he relished the attention, just like Merle always did. It was one thing Daryl had always been jealous of, and that was how well Merle got on with others. Maybe not being shunned by his father in his early years gave Merle the confidence that Daryl always lacked.

"We can help you load up anything you want, but we really need to get heading back before the roads become impassable." Daryl reiterated to the family.

Noah nodded and quickly everyone was bundling up in coats and grabbing things and heading out to the truck. It was going to be a tight squeeze with four of them crammed into the cab, but it was only temporary and to all of them the discomfort would be worth it.

…

Will, Dave, Tony, and Mitch were parked at the entrance of the small path, still undetected by the younger Dixons.

Mitch turned to Will "Do we need to wear our hoods and robes for this?"

"Nah, ain't none of them gonna be left alive after we are done." Will told them.

"You gonna kill your own boys?" Dave asked.

"No, I'm gonna wait here and watch the road while you boys go and earn your place with our group. Do what you gotta do, but bring that Nigger boy Noah's body to me. He will be proudly displayed in the town square exactly where he started this shit months ago. Blake wants him dead and we NEED him dead. Got it boys?" He asked the men in a tone that let them know they better not fuck this up.

"Got it boss, you sure about no survivors…I mean, they are your blood." Mitch asked again for clarity.

"Collateral damage boys- sometimes you have to make sacrifices. Merle and Daryl are too far gone to save, and that makes them a threat. We eliminate all threats to the cause." Will said emphatically. The coldness in his voice shook the other three men to the core, but just made it more imperative that they left no one behind.

…

Noah and Daryl were putting the last of the family's few meager belongings into the truck before they left. They had decided that they would get on the road right away, and if things got too bad they would just pull over and rest in the truck. As much as the appreciated the sanctuary that the cabin provided, they were all just ready to get on with their lives.

"Daryl, I can't thank you and Merle enough for this. I'm gonna pay you back one day…count on it. We're gonna get out here, get to Richmond and then I'm gonna do everything I can do to make sure I get into a college so I can provide for Momma and the boys. I know it's not gonna be easy, but you will see, I'm gonna do something with my life." He told both men in a determined tone.

"I don't doubt it one bit boy." Merle said.

Noah got into the truck on the driver's side and his mother helped the twins get into the truck next. She was about to get in the truck when she stopped and turned to the Dixon's "Thank you both for…" a gunshot rang out and the woman dropped dead in an instant with a bullet between her eyes. The white snow was now stained with the red blood pouring from the woman's head.

Noah's eyes opened in disbelief and Merle and Daryl each grabbed one of the twins and dragged them out of the truck while Daryl shouted to Noah to take cover. The twins were screaming and began to panic when they spotted their mother's dead body laying in the snow and Daryl and Merle were doing all they could to keep the boys calm. The children had no idea what was going on and their fight or flight reflex kicked in immediately. The boy that Merle was holding broke free and headed off towards the woods while the other boy that Daryl was holding kicked Daryl in the groin, causing him to lose his grip, and then the child ran after his brother into to the woods as well. Noah had headed off into the other direction towards the lake and that was when Daryl caught sight of Mitch holding a rifle, with a sneer on his face.

Dolgen shouted commands to Tony and Dave and Daryl recognized the men as the ones' that he had tangled with at the bar a few months prior. How had they found them? Even if they had seen the Dixon's leave town and head North, the chances of them finding the obscured path that led to the cabin was unlikely. Daryl knew who led them here, but he didn't see the man anywhere in the vicinity. Figures the coward would let the others do his dirty work.

"Hands up boys." Mitch said as he sent Dave and Tony after the two younger kids. Daryl did a quick mental inventory of their weapons and realized his crossbow was still in his truck and the only weapon they had was a large hunting knife strapped to Merle's hip. They were fucked.

The wind was whipping and mixture of snow and sleet pellets were stinging Daryl's face as he stared down the asshole with the rifle. He heard screams and turned to his left to see Dave and Tony each carrying two squirming boys out of the woods. By the look on Merle's face he also realized they were fucked but he also looked like he was doing his best to figure out a way out of this.

"What do you want us to do with them?" Dave asked Mitch.

"What we do with all little Niggers, string 'em up and let 'em thrash about like a fish. I love to watch 'em squirm until they can't no more." Mitch replied in a tone so evil it made Daryl's blood run cold. He looked to his brother who quickly reached down to his hip to grab his knife.

"Not so fast Merle. Toss it onto the ground or I blow your retarded brother's head off." Mitch threatened and Merle complied. For now at least Noah was safe, but the younger boy's screams were blood curdling as Merle saw Dave and Tony had now thrown the ropes over the branch of an old oak tree and the little boys were each being dragged off the ground simultaneously by their necks. The brutal men who were pulling on the ropes each were laughing like they had just told a dirty joke.

It was then that Noah came running from the woods when he saw the peril his younger brothers were in. "NO!" He shouted, giving up his location.

Mitch just smiled as he turned the rifle from Merle and Daryl and fired off a shot that took Noah down just as easily as he had taken down the boy's mother. Daryl let out a shout and everything went into slow motion as his anger exploded and he and Merle went after Mitch.

Merle wrestled the rifle from Mitch and ran after Dave and Tony to try to save the younger boys and Daryl then tackled Mitch to the ground. The men were wrestling around on the ground trading punches and fighting for dominance and no one seemed to be gaining the upper hand. The snow was falling heavily now and the more Daryl and Mitch fought, they got closer and closer to the icy lake.

As Merle reached Dave and Tony with the rifle in his hand he knew it was too late for the young boys. Their body's swayed in the wind, but there was no movement as their heads lolled to the side, obviously broken from the ropes tightly gathered around their necks. Merle's mind went white with anger and he shouted at the two murderers "You Mother fuckers are about to go straight to hell." He pulled the trigger on the rifle and all he heard was a painfully loud click. The gun was empty and now he was outnumbered by the two men. However, Merle Dixon would not give up without a fight.

He tackled both men with his arms open and took them both to the snow covered ground. He went after the smaller one, Dave and began unleashing a barrage of punches on the man, hearing the satisfying sound of Dave's nose breaking beneath his fists. However, the satisfaction that Merle received was short lived as Tony had picked up the now discarded rifle and swung it at the back of Merle's head like a baseball bat. Merle registered the contact for a brief second before he fell unconscious into the snow.

Daryl's rage seemed to be taking control of his body and with one hard push, he had he and Mitch breaking through the ice on the lake. Both men gasping as the water took the breath from them. It felt like tiny shards of glass were pricking into every part of Daryl's body, but he didn't care. All that mattered at this moment was that he needed to kill this man who had snuffed the life out of young Noah. Daryl didn't pick up on the fact that Dave and Tony had secured Merle so that he couldn't help his younger brother, and Daryl was pretty much on his own just like at the bar, three versus one. Mitch was swearing at Daryl, but the cold was slowing down his movements and Daryl began to push Mitch below the surface of the water and held him down. "You son of a bitch, you are going to die for what you did." Daryl shouted.

But just like Merle, Daryl got taken from behind as both Dave and Tony jumped into the frigid water and they pushed Daryl below the surface, while throwing punches at the weakened and outnumbered man. Mitch came to the surface gasping for air and pulled himself to the shore shaking from the cold and trying desperately to catch his breath in the icy air.

Daryl flailed about swinging at anything moving, but each time he moved he was thrust beneath the surface of the water. He was drowning and he knew it. Each time he came up he gasped for breath, only to be pushed below the waterline again. Daryl ceased his movements and it seemed to have fooled the men holding him into believing he was dead. They let go of Daryl's semi-conscious body and just let him float in the water as the cold was also effecting Dave and Tony as well. The men waddled to the shore and grabbed the ailing Mitch.

"He dead?" Mitch asked.

"If he ain't he will be. No one can survive in this cold for much longer." Tony said.

"What about Merle?" Mitch asked through a weakened voice.

Dave replied, "He'll be bleeding out shortly. It's too fucking cold to be here anymore. Let's take the vehicles and get out of here. Ain't no one gonna find 'em, and if they do, all they are going to find is their corpses.

Mitch looked up at Merle's unconscious body in the snow, Merle's hunting knife had been skewered through Merle's right hand, holding his body in place in case the man had tried to get back up.

"Grab the corpses of the kid and his mother and load them into the truck and burn down the cabin. Look's like we got our trophy boys." Mitch said as he winced in pain. The two men helped Mitch to his feet and led him to Daryl's truck then retrieved Noah and his mother's dead body and tossed them in the bed of the pickup like a couple of bags of garbage. Dave got in the truck with Mitch and Tony got in Alyssa's truck and they drove off. Will Dixon was going to be a happy man, maybe not about hearing of the death of his son's, but he now had the missing piece of the puzzle that would solidify his standing for the cause. And Will would be sure to bring Dave, Tony, and Mitch along with him as he moved up the ranks of the Klan.

…

Merle began to stir in the snow and the first thing he realized was that he was cold, no not just cold, but freezing. He tried to sit up but let out a scream of pain as he realized that his right hand had been stabbed through into the ground with his hunting knife, keeping him from moving without instant misery. He took a few seconds to regain his composure and to try to figure out where Daryl was. Slowly he sat up and saw his brother laying by the shore of the lake, his upper torso out of the water, but his feet and knee's were still submerged. Merle had no idea how long he had been out, but the cabin was burning and he needed to get to his brother.

Not having much choice, Merle reached with his left hand and ripped the knife out of his now mutilated right hand. He could barely stand, but he managed to stumble the fifty yards or so to reach Daryl. Blood droplets were littering the snow beneath him, but at the moment all that mattered was that he had to help his baby brother. It was what Merle had been born to do, take care of Daryl at all costs. Dropping to his knees, he dragged Daryl's seemingly lifeless body out of the lake completely and felt for a pulse. It took a second, but Merle found one. Thank God, Daryl was still alive.

They were both freezing, and Daryl wasn't conscious, but he needed to find a way to get them warmed up. He could already feel the effects of hypothermia and by the looks of the light in the sky, darkness would be upon them very soon. Badly injured, and with a useless right hand Merle said a quick prayer and fought to drag Daryl up towards the burning cabin. It wasn't a lot of heat, as the wind was still blowing and the snow was still falling, but it was warmer than being down by the shore of the lake. Both vehicles were gone, but if He and Daryl didn't show up by midnight, he knew Beth and Alyssa would notify someone. So for now, Merle had to pray that he could keep the two of them alive long enough for help to arrive. Unfortunately, with the weather, he didn't know how long it would be and if he could do it.

Pulling Daryl's body as close to his as possible, he hoped that their strength and core body heat would be enough to keep them alive until someone found them. He had to do this…he had Beth and his unborn child to think about, and Daryl had just finally found happiness in his life, and he deserved to enjoy it for a years to come.

Daryl began to awake as Merle held him tightly. "Are we dead?" Daryl rasped.

"Not yet baby brother, but it's not looking too good right now." Merle whispered out, too weak to speak any louder. He was suffering from blood loss and the hypothermia was making it hard to think or move.

"Merle, I think me and Alyssa are gonna have a baby." Daryl said in a state close to hallucinating, but for some reason he felt he needed to get it out.

Merle heard what Daryl said, and now, more determined than ever Merle told him "Daryl, we both gotta hang on until help arrives. If you were ever a praying man, now might be the time to offer up a few to the man above."

Daryl responded through chattering teeth "we need something to wrap around us for warmth."

"Daryl, I can't move…they got me good with the knife and if it hadn't been for this cold, I'm pretty sure I would have bled out by now." Merle told him.

Daryl nodded as speaking was taking what little energy he had from him. He looked at his older brother, and knew that if he didn't do something, they were both going to die. So with great pain and much struggling, Daryl managed to get himself to his feet. His steps were uncoordinated and unsteady, but he managed to make his way to some fir trees behind the remnants of the cabin. He found the knife that had impaled Merle's hand and picked it up. There was very little light left in the day, but there was enough so that he could see the branches of the evergreens. With much effort, he began to cut the at the bows of the trees and slowly dragged them towards Merle.

Merle seemed to be fading quickly, and Daryl was pretty sure his brother was having a conversation with someone who wasn't there. He couldn't let his brother down, especially after all the times that Merle had taken care of him. So painfully, and slowly Daryl continued to cut and drag bows from the evergreens and managed to build a crude small shelter to protect the boys from the elements. By the time he had finished the remains of the cabin were just a few smoldering embers and darkness had taken over the sky. He held Merle close to his body as their bodies trembled from the elements, but they were both still alive and breathing for the moment, and they just needed to stay that way.

…

As afternoon turned into evening and evening turned into night, both Beth and Alyssa became more concerned about Daryl and Merle. When midnight arrived and the men hadn't returned, Alyssa knew something was wrong. The weather was bad and she wondered if they had been in an accident and were injured on the side of the road somewhere.

"Beth, I think it's time we get help. I would go after them myself, but I'm not sure I could find my way to the cabin on my own." Alyssa said.

"Call Jess. He knows where the cabin is and even though the boys didn't want him to know what is going on, by now Noah and his family are most likely on the way to Virginia. Besides it doesn't matter if Jess knows or not, Merle and Daryl could be in danger and we need to get to them." Beth said.

Alyssa picked up the phone and made the call. Jess had obviously been asleep when he answered the phone and Alyssa spoke "Jess, we need your help…the boys are in trouble. Do you remember how to get to the old hunting cabin in the mountains?"

"Get dressed and I'll be right there to get you. Hannah can come stay with Beth, but I might need your medical expertise." Jess said, already knowing the boys had done something that most likely did not go as planned.

 **Well- This took a little longer to get up than I had wanted, but not as bad as before. So-Life or death, baby or no baby, Merle keeps his hand or loses it? It's up to you to decide. Comment and let me know and based on your feedback I will decide.**

 **I'll be out in California for the next two weeks, but I hope to get some time in the evenings to write, so hopefully I'll have another update within the week, but if I don't please forgive me.**

 **Super shout out to my very loyal and beautiful readers:**

 **Chaney-Led-Thorney-all-good**

 **nikole salvatore**

 **.2017**

 **Avaleigh1**

 **Miss October 13**

 **You have no idea how much I appreciate you reading and reviewing. It really means the world too me!**

 **Take Care and I hope to be back with you guys within the week!**

 **Missy-XXOO**


	21. Chapter 21

After Alyssa's frantic call, Jess contacted Rick and explained that they believed that Merle and Daryl were in trouble and that they would fill them in on the details later. Jess also asked if Rick could accompany them because if something had gone wrong with the men, then they would need two vehicles to bring them back. As soon as he hung up the phone he took Hannah and Clarissa to stay with Beth, and Alyssa met them with some blankets and her medical kit. She wasn't taking any chances.

They met Rick at the intersection that headed up to the cabin and Jess was surprised to see Shane was also following in the patrol car. Abe, Gorman, and Eugene would cover the town while the two deputies went out in search of the Dixons.

…

Daryl's military training had kicked in once he and Merle were semi protected from the boughs of the tree he had covered them up with. As much as he hated to do it, he stripped both of them down naked and wrapped their bodies together, using body heat to create some warmth beneath the evergreens. It was humiliating, but it was also survival and right now, all that mattered was that they stayed alive until someone, if anyone came to their rescue.

He refused to let himself or Merle sleep, so he did something that he wasn't very good at, but needed to be done. Daryl began to talk. He talked about how much he loved Alyssa, how much he missed his mother, and then he began to speak about the farm and the future. If Merle didn't respond to the questions Daryl asked, then he would nudge his brother until he got some sort of response. For once in their life, Daryl was the chatty Dixon and Merle was the one who was mostly silent.

The feeling in Daryl's feet and hands was all but gone and he knew that frostbite was beginning to kick in, but he was more concerned about Merle. The wound wasn't bleeding anymore, which was good, but that meant that the blood flow was being directed from the extremities towards the heart. Their bodies were sacrificing the limbs to keep the heart beating. If he escaped this ordeal with all his fingers and toes it would be a miracle. He didn't want to think about what Merle's prognosis with that hand would be.

Daryl wasn't sure how long they had been there, but Merle was no longer responding to his questions or nudges for about the last thirty minutes. Daryl was continuously checking for a pulse and then he would rub his brothers arms desperately attempting to get some sort of circulation flowing through his brother's body. Merle still had a weak pulse, and Daryl could detect a heartbeat. Daryl himself was finding it harder and harder to speak and was trying hard to stay awake, but if help didn't get to them soon, he didn't think he could hold out any longer. He was desperate, and desperate people did desperate things, so Daryl did what Merle suggested, and he began to pray.

His prayers must have been heard because it was about twenty minutes later that he heard vehicles heading down the old road and for a minute he thought he had died or was hallucinating. The first voice he heard was Jess's as he heard him yell to someone else "Over here."

Before he knew what was happening, the branches were being pulled off of Merle and he, and the cold wind hit him in the face like a train. Someone was shining a flashlight and that was when he heard Alyssa whisper "Oh God" as she dropped down on her knees beside him.

"Alyssa I'm so sorry." He whispered.

"Shhh Daryl, we got to get you and Merle someplace warm." She said as she instructed Rick and Jess to move Merle first and then she and Shane would move Daryl the warm vehicles. It was obvious to her that Merle was in much worse shape than Daryl, but Alyssa didn't say anything to Daryl as she didn't want to put any type of mental stress on him.

Daryl was unable to move as he was picked up off the ground and quickly wrapped in a warm blanket and literally carried by Shane to Jess's truck. Daryl was in a state of confusion and things were happening that he had no control of, or much understanding at the moment. All he knew was within what seemed like seconds he was sitting in the warmth of Jess's truck, but he was still shivering, uncoordinated, and couldn't feel his feet or hands. Every part of his body felt like glass, but he knew Alyssa was near by and that comforted him. He was going to survive this horrific ordeal and now he could only pray that Merle would too.

Alyssa had taken charge of making sure that both men were stabilized so that they could get them to the hospital in Canton. Severe hypothermia and frostbite were not in the realm of what Alyssa was comfortable treating. This was Georgia, and rarely did temperatures drop this cold.

Daryl was definitely suffering from hypothermia. His lips were turning blue and his skin was like ice to the touch. He showed some beginning signs of frostbite on his feet and hands, but nothing compared to Merle. The men stripping their clothes and covering themselves with the tree branches had been a smart survival technique. Alyssa had no idea about what had happened, but she knew something had gone wrong because the snow was covered in blood, both vehicles were gone, and the cabin had been burned to the ground. She only prayed that Noah and his family had escaped before all hell had broken loose.

Merle was much worse off than Daryl and Alyssa didn't say it out loud, but she was concerned that he might actually not survive the trip to Canton. They had wrapped him up in warm blankets and placed him in the backseat of Shane's patrol car. Merles hand was mutilated and he had a definite concussion, but what scared her the most was that he was completely unresponsive. Merle was a strong man, but even the strongest of men could succumb to these conditions. She cleaned the wound through his hand and loosely wrapped it in a sterile bandage in anticipation of the warmth from the vehicle warming his body temperature back up and then causing the bleeding to start back. She then made the difficult decision to let Daryl ride with Jess and she would ride with Merle in case she needed to resuscitate him. Merle had too much to lose and she would do everything in her power to keep him alive until they could make it to the hospital.

Once they had Merle secured and as warm as possible in the back of Shane's car, Alyssa quickly went over to check on Daryl one final time. He was wheezing, and that had her concerned, but he was still breathing and in considerably better shape than his older brother. She gently reached for his hand and he opened his eyes when he felt the warm contact "Daryl I need you to listen to me. I'm going to ride with Merle to the hospital, but Jess will be following us and if something happens, he can flash his lights at us and I will get right out and check on you. You hold on for me and I'll check on you as soon as we arrive. Are you OK with that?"

Daryl rasped out weakly "yes Alyssa…I gotta tell Rick what happened."

"Don't you worry about that, we'll tell him once we get you to the hospital. I've got a warm thermos of chamomile tea here and you need to try to drink and get some in you to begin to warm your body. Do you think you can hold it on your own?" She asked.

Daryl nodded, but she still helped him lift the bottle to his mouth so he could drink it. "Drink slowly so you don't get sick." She told him, and once again she was treated to a weak nod.

She went over to Jess and explained to him to make sure that Daryl stayed warm and drank slowly. "How's Merle?" he whispered so that Daryl couldn't hear.

Alyssa looked to Jess, but just shook her head. "We'll do everything we can, but he's bad off. Just don't let Daryl know. I need him to focus on trying to get warm."

"I'll pray, for now it's the best I can do." Jess said, and Alyssa reached out and gave Jess's hand a squeeze. Praying was the best any of them could do right now. To be honest, with the weather conditions as bad as they were, the mere fact that Daryl and Merle were still breathing was a miracle.

…

It was seven in the morning by the time they made it to Canton. Daryl had somehow remained awake the entire trip, but he was far from feeling any better. His hands and feet were burning and itching something terrible, but he knew that was a good thing, it meant the blood flow was returning to the extremities. He was still cold and his teeth were chattering, but he was alive. The tea had helped to warm his internal body temperature, but he knew he was still hypothermic. He could barely move without a lot of pain, but it wasn't himself that he was worried about. It was Merle. Even though his thoughts were still somewhat muddled, he knew that Merle must have been in bad shape if Alyssa had chosen to stay with him instead of Daryl.

When they arrived at the hospital both men were swiftly taken from the vehicles and whisked away to separate rooms. Alyssa had found Milton and begged him to do anything he could to try to save Merle. She had to resuscitate him twice on the three hour ride to the hospital and new he was teetering on the edge of death. All she could think of was Beth and their unborn child and it just kept her more determined to keep him alive. She loved Merle almost as much as she loved Daryl, and she would do anything to make sure he fought as hard as he could to survive this ordeal.

On duty that night along with Milton was the Chief of Staff, Dr. Stevens and since he also knew Alyssa, and respected her, he was more than willing to make sure both Dixon men received top notch treatment. Both men told Alyssa it was best that she wait with the rest of the family while they examined the patients and that they would update them as soon as they properly diagnosed their injuries.

Within an hour a frantic Beth was brought into the hospital waiting room with Clarissa and Hannah. The stress was not optimal for Beth, but right now she deserved to be with her very sick and possibly dying husband.

"What happened?" Beth said through hysterical tears.

"We don't know yet Beth. Neither of them has really been able to speak. Somehow they managed to build a nest around their bodies and use their body heat to try to stay warm. Merle's body temperature was eighty four and Daryl's was eighty seven when we got them here, which means that their core temperatures were much lower when we found them. Beth I did everything I could with what I had to work with, but Merle's hand is in bad shape. I have no clue what happened to it, but I am not sure it can be saved." Alyssa told the young blonde.

"I don't care about his hand, all I care about is him…he has to be OK. I can't lose him, not now when he has so much to live for." Beth said through her tears.

"Look, Merle's a fighter and he will get through this, we just need to be strong for him. We can do that for him." Alyssa told him.

Alyssa wrapped her arms around the tiny woman and just held her. Beth had every right to be terrified, and to be honest, Alyssa was scared for Merle as well. Daryl didn't appear to have life threatening injuries, but that didn't mean she wasn't worried for him. He was battered and if anything bad had happened to Noah and his family, then Alyssa knew Daryl would blame himself. She had just gotten him to finally let go of the guilt from the war twenty years earlier, and now something like this could set his mental state back.

After another hour Dr. Stevens and Milton came out to update the family. All of them were exhausted and nervous and Dr. Stevens gave Merle's update first. "Unfortunately we were not able to save the older Dixon's hand. He has an infection and the hand was damaged beyond repair. He also has a concussion and some bruising from some type of assault, but he should survive once we get the infection treated. We've managed to get his core body temperature up to eighty nine degrees and we are slowly continuing to warm him with IV fluids. He is resting comfortably for now, but we want to keep him here until we are sure that infection is gone."

"Can I see him?" Beth asked.

"Absolutely, I'm sure seeing you will help immensely with his healing." Dr. Stevens said offering Beth a small but comforting smile.

"And Daryl?" Alyssa asked.

"He's got some minor frostbite on his feet and several lacerations on his legs and arms. He mentioned falling through ice and it appears that the ice is the cause of the lacerations. He also has symptoms of an assault. His core body temperature is up to ninety-one and he should recover without any issues. However, we've noticed what could be the early stages of pneumonia as apparently he was held under water and inhaled some of the water in the lake, which may have had bacteria in it. We've caught it early enough that we can treat his lungs and he should recover nicely. I'd like to keep him over night, and then I'll release him to your care Dr. Cambridge." Dr. Stevens said, accidentally calling Alyssa by her maiden name and causing Milton to smile briefly.

Alyssa had to fight back some tears of her own knowing Daryl would be OK. He would be out of commission for a week or so, but that didn't matter. Yes, she knew she would have to fight with him to keep him in bed, but it would be worth it.

"Thank you both so much." Alyssa said as she hugged Dr. Stevens and then Milton. Milton might have hung onto her for a few seconds too long, but the feel of Alyssa's body in his arms was too much for him to let go.

When he had first spotted Alyssa at the hospital entrance with the two injured men, he had been concerned for her well being. But after he determined she was fine and that it was just the Dixon men who had been injured, he felt somewhat resentful. He didn't want to treat the man that had taken Alyssa from him, but when Alyssa begged him to help, he couldn't refuse her. He would do anything for the woman he loved. Now that she was no longer getting treated for her burns, he really didn't have much of an excuse to see her without rousing suspicions. Now here she was in front of him and close enough that he could smell the lilac in her hair. Milton had thought that maybe with the passage of time his feelings for the woman would fade, but having her again this close just re-ignited the spark that he had for her and just made him want her more. Why couldn't she see that the two of them would be an ideal match? If Dr. Stevens hadn't been monitoring him so closely maybe he could have done something untraceable to eliminate the animal she was married too and blame it on sudden cardiac arrest, but Dr. Steven's assessed him first and anything Milton could have done would have been suspicious. So for now, he would treat Daryl like a normal patient and at least know that he had kept Alyssa happy. He still held out hope that things would fall apart and that he could be there to step in and save the day.

…

Rick had asked Alyssa if he could speak to Daryl if he was up to it, and she agreed. She wanted to know what happened as well, and since Merle was in no shape to answer questions, she knew for now that Daryl could help. He had wanted to tell her what happened when they first found them, and she had told him to wait until they had him somewhere safe. So if Daryl was willing to talk, then maybe Daryl could get them the answers they needed.

When they walked into Daryl's hospital room Alyssa had to hold back a gasp when she saw Daryl's appearance. He was weak and bruised, and paler than she had ever seen him before. But as long as blood flowed through his veins, the she was happy. Immediately when he saw her he lifted his hand to motion for her to come to him. She sat down in a chair beside his bed and pulled his still cold hand into hers.

"How are you feeling?" She asked.

"About as good as I look. Just thankful to alive. How's Merle? No one will tell me anything." Daryl asked in an exhausted voice.

"He's gonna make it Daryl, but he lost his hand." Alyssa told him. Daryl didn't say anything, but gave her a knowing nod. He had seen the shape Merle's hand had been in and wasn't surprised. Merle was tough though, and he would make it through this. The good news was that he would live to see his child born and live his life with Beth. He didn't know how the loss of the hand would effect his ability to work on the farm, but Merle would figure it out, and if he could no longer do it, then they would come up with another plan. Daryl knew that no matter what he would never turn his back on Merle.

Rick then spoke "Can you tell us what happened? Are you up to it?"

"Yeah, find my pa and you've got your answer." Daryl said angrily

"You're dad did this to you boys? Why were you up there in a blizzard to begin with?" Rick asked.

"We've been hiding Noah and his family up there for months. It was safe and there wasn't anyway anyone knew about that place." Daryl told Rick.

"Well what happened?" Rick asked again.

"We were taking Alyssa's truck up there to give it to them so they could leave and head to Richmond to be with their family. We had supplies and money for them so they could get a clean break from this place and finally be safe and live a life. The asshole must have seen us leave town and followed us." Daryl informed Rick as he jotted down notes.

"Did you see your father? And if so what did he say?" Rick inquired.

"No, it was his goons, Mitch Dolgen and the other two fuckers he is always with. They killed Noah's momma in front of the kids. Shot her between the eyes and she dropped immediately. Told Noah to take off and hide and Merle and me tried to get the kids to safety. They were terrified and I think they thought we were trying to kidnap them or something. They took off and the two assholes with Mitch went after them in the woods while Mitch kept me and Merle at gunpoint. Noah ran out from his hiding place when he saw them string up them little boys and Mitch fired and shot Noah dead. Me and Merle went after Mitch and Merle managed to get the gun and went to try to save the boys and I fought with Mitch. We ended up in the lake falling through the ice and I was winning, until the other's jumped in and held me under. I played dead and it must have fooled them because they left me there. Merle had been knocked unconscious and then they stabbed his hand with Merle's knife, impaling him to the ground. When we came too the cabin was on fire and the trucks were gone. I had made it to the bank of lake and Merle helped drag me up towards the only warmth we could find, which was the burning cabin. The bodies were gone too, but I bet they show up in town real soon. We just tried to survive at the point and prayed someone would come for us." Daryl told Rick in a voice that became angrier as he spoke.

"I thought you said your dad did this?" Rick asked again.

"He had to have but he must have waited for them to do the dirty work." Daryl told them.

"Did you actually see your father?" Rick said and Daryl knew what he was hinting at.

"No. But it had to be him Rick. He's the only one that could have known where we were. They couldn't have followed the tracks from the truck because the snow was coming down hard enough to cover 'em up. The only way they could have found us was to specifically know where we were headed. He probably saw us when we turned North. We shouldn't have gone out in this weather, it looked too suspicious and now it costs that family their lives. Rick, they were good people and didn't deserve to die like this." Daryl told him, now almost hysterical, and Alyssa squeezed his hand tightly when she saw how upset Daryl was becoming.

"We'll find 'em Daryl and bring 'em to justice. I just wish y'all had told us what you were up too. We could have gotten them to safety." Rick told Daryl.

"No, not with Gorman on the force. I don't trust him, he would have tipped someone off, but I guess it don't matter, it still happened. He won again, and I'm a failure once more." Daryl said, his breathing becoming more rapid as he increasingly grew upset.

Alyssa then gave Rick a look to let him know that it would be best if he left for now. She was right, the guilt was already starting to eat at Daryl, and she needed to get him to calm down and let his body rest.

"Daryl, just get better and let us handle this for now." Rick said as he reached out and gave Daryl a light pat on the shoulder.

"I'll try my best. Just do what you can to find 'em." Daryl said in an almost defeated tone. Something deep inside of him told him that even if they did find them that somehow Will would weasel his way out of the charges. It seemed like no matter what evil Will did, he couldn't be touched. Sometimes it seemed that Will Dixon was Satan himself.

When Rick left Alyssa scooted closer to Daryl. "Honey I'm so sorry you had to go through this. You did everything you could to help them. None of this is your fault."

Daryl laid his head back against his pillow and closed his eyes. He was exhausted, and cold, and ached terribly, but the worse thing was that he couldn't believe that none of this was his fault. They should have been more careful, and they shouldn't have gone up with the weather the way that it was. Another few days wouldn't have made a difference, except that the family would still be alive. The fact that they had taken the bodies let Daryl know this wasn't over. They would be displayed like trophies to benefit "the Cause." It wasn't fair, but then again, other than Alyssa, when had Daryl's life been fair. His only consolation was that Merle would survive, but even he paid a high price by losing his hand.

"Alyssa, I just want to get some rest right now. They gave me some pain killers and they are kicking in. Do you know how long they are gonna keep me?" He asked as he held her hand to his chest.

"You've got a touch of pneumonia, but they say if you are doing better then you can leave tomorrow. If you still want I can schedule an appointment with Milton before we leave. Is that OK?" She asked him.

With everything that had happened Daryl had almost forgotten that Alyssa might be pregnant. At least there was something hopeful in his life for right now. "Yeah, that sounds real good. I want you to do me a favor though." He asked her.

"What is it baby?" She asked him.

"Keep an eye on Beth and make sure she is OK. With everything going on with Merle it can't be good for her or the baby. Then I want you to go back to the farm and get some rest. This chair ain't no place for you to sleep. I know you gotta be tired." He told her.

" Daryl don't push me away." She pleaded.

"Shhh…I ain't, I promise. I just want you to be sure to stay as healthy and rested as possible. I know it was a long night for you, and the fact that Merle is still alive is because of you. If I'd lost him I don't know what I would have done. He's always looked out for me, and he did again last night. If he hadn't pulled me out of that water I wouldn't have made it. We gotta take care of him and Beth." Daryl told her.

"I will Daryl. And I'll be back later to check on you and to bring you some clothes to change into. You and Merle weren't wearing anything when we found you and I realized that you had received survival training in the military. Smart thinking on your part." She told him giving him a small smile.

"Something good came out of all that training. Just don't remind me I was snuggled up naked with Merle." He replied trying to lighten the situation a little bit.

…

By the time Alyssa was ready to leave, Beth's family had arrived to be with her. Alyssa was going to ride back with Jess, Clarissa, and Hannah since now she and Daryl had no vehicles of their own. Merle still had not regained consciousness, but his vitals were improving. Alyssa was thankful that both Merle and Daryl were strong and healthy men, or the outcome of the previous night could have been much worse.

Beth was insisting on staying with Merle and her mother and sister had brought a change of clothes for the young mother to be, and Dr. Steven's agreed to allow them to roll in another bed for Beth to rest in while Merle recovered. It seemed that Dr. Steven's had remembered Beth from her days of nursing school and had been quite impressed with the tiny blonde. He also knew she was in a delicate condition and that for now, being with Merle was the best thing for her.

Hershel had informed everyone that Daryl's warning had come to fruition. The town of Holly Springs awoke this morning to a coating of snow and four dead bodies hanging from the old oak tree in the center square in town. Shane and Abe had been quick to remove the bodies when they were first discovered and then Eugene had asked that they be sent to the coroner's office so that he could retrieve any evidence possible. He also was insisting to be brought out to the scene at the cabin to gather anything that could pin the crime on the Klan. Of course everyone knew it was the Klan that had committed the act, but they weren't sure about the specifics of who. For now Rick was keeping what Daryl had told him under wraps until they could gather more evidence. Something like a fingerprint would go a long way to support Daryl's eye witness report. It was no secret that there was bad blood between Daryl and his father, and Rick feared that a judge might think it was just a way for Daryl to get revenge on his father.

…

Hannah was kind enough to lend Alyssa her truck until her and Daryl could find a replacement. They still had Jess's truck and Beth still had access to Merle's. After Alyssa had come home that morning she fell into a deep sleep and when she awoke she quickly got dressed and gathered up some items for Daryl. The weather had let up and now it was sunny and in the forties. The snow was quickly melting and the roads were in good shape. Alyssa was thankful for that because the trip up into the mountains the night before was harrowing. Fortunately the trip between Canton and Holly Springs was a short one and it wasn't a bad drive.

When she arrived at the hospital Daryl was sound asleep (apparently they had given him a sedative on top of the pain medication so he would finally rest). She left his belongings on the counter in his room and then wrote him a note to tell him she had stopped by. The last thing she wanted to do was to wake him up knowing he needed rest.

She dropped in on Beth, and Merle had finally woke up. He was heavily medicated, but he was still smiling like Merle always seemed to do. "I'd offer you a wave Doc, but I gotta come up with some new moves. Looks like I'm gonna be a lefty from now on." He told her. She was impressed with how positive Merle was about everything.

"Merle, I'm sorry about everything." Alyssa told him.

"Ain't no need to be sorry Doc. I'm alive and breathing and I get to see my purty little wife and soon my baby. I heard you had to bring me back twice, and I ain't never gonna be able to thank you enough for that. It seems old Merle still has a few lives left in him." He told her.

Alyssa couldn't suppress the sob that escaped her. "Merle I'm not gonna lie, you scared me so bad. I didn't know if you were gonna make it and I didn't know what or how I would tell Beth."

Beth quickly rushed to Alyssa's side "Shhh…you did everything perfectly Alyssa. Even Merle knew the likelihood of keeping his hand was low. We will all live to see another day and like Merle said, we have you to thank for that."

"How's Daryl? They won't let me out of here to go see him." Merle asked.

"He's asleep…finally. You know him Merle, he feels like this is all his fault." Alyssa informed him.

"Damn that boy and his guilt. Don't worry, I'll set him straight. There wasn't anything we could have done. If it hadn't happened last night, they would have found him somehow. The Klan has long arms, and if they hadn't reached him in Georgia, there is a good chance they would have eventually caught up with him in Richmond. Just wished maybe we had done this sooner, but we didn't know." Merle said.

"You're right Merle. We just need to convince your brother. For now, I'm going to let you two get some rest. Looks like you are gonna be here for a little while Merle. Is there anything I can do for you?" Alyssa asked him.

"Just take care of Daryl for me. He's gonna need ya." Merle told her.

"Don't worry, I've got him covered." Alyssa assured her brother in law.

...

The next morning Alyssa returned to the hospital to help with getting Daryl discharged. He had been offered the opportunity to be wheeled out to the truck in a wheel chair, but he insisted on walking himself. They had one final stop to make before they left, and both of them were beyond nervous.

Milton had reluctantly agreed to perform a pregnancy test on Alyssa, and Daryl had insisted to be there with her the entire time. It was not easy for him to see his wife in a hospital gown while the creepy Dr. Mahmet had his hands in a place that no one but Daryl had the right to be, but he had to remind himself that Milton was a doctor. Even though Daryl thought the man was creepy and had feelings for his wife, he also knew that Milton would take care of Alyssa. Daryl couldn't believe that Alyssa wasn't dying of embarrassment as she went through the examination, but instead she just held tightly onto his hand and kept her eyes trained on his face while she endured the poking and prodding.

When Milton was done he went to the sink and washed his hands and then wrote a few notes down on Alyssa's chart.

"Milton, are you going to tell us or not?" Alyssa asked in a frustrated voice.

Milton let out a sigh. "It looks like you're assumptions are correct. It would appear that you are around seven weeks pregnant. Based on your last cycle date I would put your due date around September second." Milton told them both.

Daryl looked at Alyssa, and she at him. Both of them had tears in their eyes as they realized that they would be parents.

"Really…Oh Milton, thank you so much." She said ecstatically.

"Congratulations to both of you." He said, but the enthusiasm in his voice didn't meet his eyes, and Daryl caught on quickly.

"Oh Milton this is wonderful." She told him.

The dejected Milton just shook his head, unable to speak. "I'm going to refer your care to a new female doctor here on staff. I'm afraid that I don't feel comfortable with obstetrics." He told her, and she could sense something wasn't quite right with her friend.

"Are you sure Milton? You've handled child birth many times in the past." Alyssa challenged.

Daryl was thrilled that Milton didn't want to treat Alyssa, but Alyssa genuinely seemed hurt.

"I'm sure, now if the two of you will excuse me, I have a personal matter to attend too." He told them as he walked out of the room without speaking another word.

"That was strange." Alyssa told Daryl.

"No, it wasn't. I told you all along that man had feelings for you. Now that you are carrying my baby he can't deal with it anymore. Fuck him." Daryl said emphatically, trying hard not to show how elated he was not to have to deal with the strange man. Alyssa just shook her head in disbelief.

"So Mr. Dixon, It looks like we have a baby nursery to put together in our new house." Alyssa told him smiling brightly.

"At least I got something positive to focus on. Alyssa, you just gave me the greatest gift I could ask for. After everything we've been through over the past few days, we've got a little ray of hope to get us through. I love you girl." Daryl told her as he helped her get dressed. "I'd carry you to the truck if I could, but baby I just ain't got the energy right now to do it." He confessed.

"Maybe I should be carrying you." She teased as she pulled him into a final embrace and the two finally headed home.

 **OK- Shorter chapter- But I really wanted to get this out and it was a good stopping point. So Yes, we are going to be parents.**

 **Please leave me a quick review and let me know what you think. There will be a small time jump in the next chapter, and we've got a lot to follow up on with regards to Will and the crimes they committed.**

 **I had truly hoped to update earlier, but my trip for work took up more of my day than I expected, and by the time I got back to the hotel each night I was exhausted.**

 **Once again, Please let me a note and let me know how I'm doing or if you have any suggestions.**

 **Special thanks to the following for leaving the sweet and encouraging reviews last chapter:**

 **Irrelevant86**

 **Avaleigh1**

 **.2017**

 **Miss October 13**

 **Smilejul**

 **ArcheryLefty**

 **DarylDixon'sLover**

 **MistressofPemberly (I'm not sure if I thanked you or not)**

 **Cheers and Happy reading-**

 **Missy XXOO**


	22. Chapter 22

Will Dixon never dreamed that he and his wife would be lavished with a dinner at Dr. Philip Blake's home. Blake had been thrilled that Will and his crew had not only located and hunted down Noah and his family, but that they had sent a very clear message to anyone who dared to challenge the importance of the Klan to Holly Springs. White supremacy was the law of the land, and Blake was thrilled that his small town would adhere to that law. Once he was Mayor he was sure that the reputation of the purity of Holly Springs would spread throughout Georgia! He would be heralded as a hero, and that would lead to being the Governor of the state, and who knew where else it could lead too…maybe a Senate seat, or even the Presidency?

"We are so pleased to have you here with us tonight." Andrea said to Will and Paula.

"It's our honor." Paula said back enthusiastically. She, like her husband, was thrilled that they had been brought into the Blake's inner circle.

"So I heard that you and Will are expecting…I am sure I still have some of Penny's baby items left that I would be thrilled to pass on to you. You are bringing a future patriot into the world and any way I can help out I'd be glad too." Andrea told Paula as she reached out and patted the woman's hand.

After everything that had happened to Andrea with Mike, her hatred towards people of color had grown. Her affair with Mike had been a result of boredom in her marriage, and she couldn't deny she liked the bit of excitement that went with being involved with something taboo, but that relationship had turned toxic and it made Andrea realize her husbands beliefs had been true. Coloreds were really a threat to decency. Even Michonne's ever watchful eye had been a threat to her. How could she have been so naïve about thinking that the races could mix? It almost cost her everything, including her life and her reputation.

"Will I trust you will raise this child with better values than you did your other two sons." Blake said in an emphatic tone.

"No doubt about it. Those other two son's of mine were lost causes. I don't like to speak ill of the dead, but their mother made them weak, and I should have been more involved in bringing them up, but it is no secret I didn't always walk the straight and narrow around here. This child, he's gonna be different. You mark my words." Will had no idea at this point that his sons were both very much alive and breathing and had told Blake that both men had been "casualties of war"

"He? You think you are gonna have a son?" Andrea asked him.

"Dixon's always have boys…and this one will be no exception. He's gonna be everything those other two boys weren't." Will said in a determined tone and Paula gave him a proud smile.

After Mitch, Dave, and Tony had emerged from the woods, Will had instructed them to head North into North Carolina to not only lay low, but to also ditch the vehicles they had taken. He only returned to Holly Springs with Mitch so they could drop the bodies off and make a statement that the Klan was here to stay. When Mitch had mentioned he didn't want to head North, Will was quick in reminding him that he would not tolerate insubordination, and if he and the other men didn't want to end up at the end of noose like those twin boys, he would do what Will told him. Will didn't think that he law would put forth too much effort in trying to find out who had committed the crime, but he didn't want to take chances.

He knew that Rick Grimes had brought in someone from the State to help out, but Gorman was doing a good job of keeping them informed of what was going on at the Holly Springs PD. Gorman was smart enough to keep his hands clean, but he couldn't completely trust that Grimes didn't suspect Gorman as their informant. For now, He had told Gorman to lay low, and maybe even cooperate with Grimes in the investigation to relieve some of the possible suspicion. There were a few lower members of the Klan that Will didn't care for that much, and he told Gorman to maybe point a finger of suspicion that way. If Will needed too, he could even plant a bit of evidence that would place the heat on those members. His primary choice these days was an idiot named Len Osterman who was dumb as a box of rocks. Will was always having to clean up stupid shit that Len did…like the time Len made sexually perverse moves towards a higher ranking member's fourteen year old daughter. Yeah, Will would gladly sacrifice Len if it meant furthering the cause, and keeping his own ass out of trouble.

"Will, as you know, I reward people who are loyal too me, and I'm going to be needing someone to head up my personal security. After proving that you can take care of problems, I'm beginning to think that you are the perfect fit for that position. Would you be interested?" Blake asked Will.

Will could hardly contain himself, but he didn't want to seem over eager. "I think it is something I could see myself doing. It would be my honor to protect such an upstanding man as yourself, and your family from danger."

Paula took her husbands hand and gave him a proud smile…she herself was overwhelmed with the fact that she and this man that she had fallen so hard for were finally getting the recognition they deserved. They were staunch supporters of "the cause" and the support that they had been providing was now paying off.

"Good, now lets enjoy this delicious meal that has been provided for us and we will handle the details in my study once we are done eating." Blake said to everyone at the table as everyone nodded in agreement.

…

Five days. It had been five days since Daryl had come home from the hospital and for five days straight Daryl had stayed in bed and slept. He barely spoke, and he wouldn't eat and Alyssa was getting more than a little frustrated. She knew he wasn't feeling the best, but his body was physically healing, but his mind seemed to be regressing.

Daryl could tell she was losing patience with him, and to be honest it didn't surprise him. Hell, he wasn't surprised one bit. He knew that in his current state of mind and physical condition that he was less than the ideal husband, but he just couldn't muster up the energy to do any better. Every time he was awake he would mentally replay the events of last Monday and come up with scenarios in his mind as to what he could have done differently. He should of held onto that little boy tighter, he shouldn't have had Noah run, they should have watched out a little better before they left out of town…there were so many better choices that could have been made. Heck, they should have waited one more day for the weather to clear. But because Daryl was so eager to find out if Alyssa was expecting he let his exuberance interfere with good decision making. This was his fault and he knew it.

When they first arrived home from the hospital Alyssa put him to bed immediately. At first he wanted to protest because he hated that she was doting on him like a child, but she insisted that he needed the rest so that his body could heal and also because they didn't want his pneumonia to get any worse. Merle would be in the hospital for another week, and Daryl figured staying in bed for a day or two was nothing compared to what Merle had gone through.

But a day or two had now turned into five days. Five days of Daryl not having the mental energy to get himself up and out. The winter weather of earlier in the week was gone and now they were back in the early stages of Spring. Only in the South could you have a snowstorm one day, and a few days later have temperatures back in the sixties and seventies. They had planting that needed to be done and Daryl still needed to go to the stockyard in Gainesville to fill the poultry houses. Jess had stopped by and even though he told Daryl to take his time and heal up properly before returning to his farm responsibilities, he knew Jess was overwhelmed. Alyssa was still tending to the cows in the dairy, but they would be calving any day now and Alyssa wouldn't be able to handle it on her own. Especially now that she was expecting and he didn't want her to risk her pregnancy. The problem was that all Daryl wanted to do was sleep and forget about everything. However, the only thing that helped him to sleep were the pain pills, and so he had gone through ten days of pills in just five days. He told Alyssa that he was in serious pain, but to be honest, the physical pain wasn't that bad, it was the mental anguish that was hurting him.

He knew the opiates were not the proper solution to his problem, and that he should man up and face the issues, but he just couldn't. Daryl also knew that Alyssa was only gonna put up with him being a lazy ass for so long. She was pregnant and she didn't need this extra stress on her, but instead of putting his wife and unborn child first, Daryl did the selfish thing and just buried himself under the covers and drifted back off to a fitful sleep.

Daryl's assumption was correct. When he woke up that afternoon on the fifth day, Alyssa was sitting in the wing backed chair that sat in the corner of their bedroom. He could see the disappointment on her face, but she didn't say anything.

"Hey sweetie, how are you feeling?" She asked him in a sweet and caring tone.

Daryl just grunted out an answer, his voice still hoarse from being asleep.

"I think today is a good day to get you up and moving about, maybe go outside and get some sunshine." She told him….Daryl could tell she wasn't asking.

" I'm still hurting pretty good." He told her, hoping to get her to let up on him.

"I understand that Daryl, but moving around will be good for you. You are starting to look like a vampire in this dark room. I'll help you get a bath too. Maybe we can even go up to the house and you can see all the work that Tyreese has done this week. I've already got plans for the nursery." She told him, praying he would finally join in on some sort of conversation. Since they had been home from the hospital he had barely spoken and it was beginning to annoy her.

"Ain't up to it." He said a bit harsher than he wanted.

"Daryl…You can't just lay here forever. You're bruises are healing and it will do you some good to get out of this room and out of this house. You can't change what happened, and none of it was your fault." She said a little more forceful this time.

"Told ya I ain't up to it." He said again emphatically.

By now, Alyssa was seething. "Daryl, quit your damn wallowing and get up out of that bed. Whether you like it or not I'm pregnant and I can't do all of this on my own. I need you. Please get up and eat something, and clean yourself up. Festering in your own filth isn't good for you. You've barely ate anything this past week and that might be half the reason you don't feel like getting up. I'm not going to let you draw into yourself anymore. Merle lost his damn hand and he is as upbeat as anyone could possibly be. He's coming home today and I am going to need to help Beth out. Don't forget she's expecting too and she is in a much more delicate condition than I am. I can't do it by myself! Five minutes, and then I will come in here and drag you out of the bed. And one other thing…no more pain medication. I know what you've been doing, and doping yourself up to avoid life isn't going to work with me. I know the man you are Daryl, and I'm not going to let you revert back to the man you were. Now GET up!" She screamed.

Daryl rarely heard Alyssa swear, and he knew he had pushed her well beyond her limits. So with a grunt and a bit of fire in his eyes, he resentfully sat up, put his feet on the floor and shakily got out of bed. For the past five days the only thing he had really gotten up to do was relieve himself, and even that took more effort than he had wanted. She was right though, wallowing in his misery wasn't going to help.

Alyssa was in the kitchen preparing Daryl a bowl of chicken stew and some cornbread when he emerged from the bathroom washed and dressed. His hair was still wet and his shirt wasn't fully buttoned, but at least he had made the effort to finally get out of bed. He made his way to the dining area and plopped down in a chair looking exhausted.

"I made you some lunch Daryl, eat up and then we can go outside." She told him.

"Still ain't hungry." He grunted back.

"Daryl…eat it now." She demanded of him.

Daryl let out a sigh and then finally started to eat the lunch she had prepared for him. Ironically, the more he began to eat, the hungrier he became. Alyssa noticed that he quickly polished off his bowl of stew and before he could say anything, she brought the pot over to the table and re-filled his bowl, fighting back a knowing grin. If anyone knew Daryl, it was definitely Alyssa.

Finally Daryl spoke and what he said broke Alyssa's heart. "Alyssa, how am I supposed to just go on knowing what I did?" He said it so quietly that Alyssa barely heard him, but she saw the tears in his eyes. Without thinking she ran to her husband.

"Daryl, you didn't do anything wrong. You had no idea that this was going to happen. If anything you and Merle were the only ones that did anything right. Please don't carry this guilt with you. It will kill you. Sometimes life isn't fair, and this is one of those times. The only thing you can do is to take that anger you have inside of you and turn it into something positive. Maybe we can do something through the church in Noah's memory." She told him in a pleading voice.

"You think I'm gonna go back to church after this? I can't. No one in that place has lifted one finger to help out anyone down on the East side of town…it's like it doesn't even exist to them. They're a bunch of fucking hypocrites. They pretend there isn't an issue and go about their happy lives, but none of them stepped up and tried to actually do anything. No, they just keep their heads down and ignore the issues." Daryl said, his voice increasing in strength as the anger began to rage inside of him.

"Daryl, they are scared. They don't want to stir up trouble, and can you blame them? Look at what has happened to everyone who attempted to do the right thing. I lost my home, you and Merle almost died, Glenn and Dale Horvath have been singled out, and Pastor Samuels…" She said without finishing.

Daryl dropped his head into his hands and let out a long frustrated breath. "It just ain't right, and I don't think I can go in there like nothing is wrong. I know Church means a lot to you Alyssa, and I get it…but for now I just can't do it."

"It's OK Daryl, I understand. I hope you change your mind, but I respect your wishes. I never want to force you to do anything you don't want to do." She said to him as she kneeled down in front of him so she could move his hands and look into his eyes to show him how sincere she was.

"You made me get out of bed and I didn't want to do that." He said in a lighter tone.

"Well that was for your own good. If you didn't get up and out of that bed I was probably gonna kill ya myself." She teased back.

It seemed like after talking to Alyssa and getting some food into his body he was starting to feel a little bit better. He still felt guilt and a some pain in his body, but he also felt like some of the weight of the guilt had been lifted off of him as well. The good news was that Merle was coming home today and Daryl was actually looking forward to seeing his brother. He had not seen Merle since the night they had been brought to the hospital and he missed the guy. Merle had just saved his life, and in turn Daryl had saved Merles life. On top of that, he wanted to talk about what to do with their father.

"Have you heard anything from Rick?" Daryl asked Alyssa, now curious to find out about the men who killed Noah and his family. Finding Mitch and the others meant they would move a step closer to finally pinning something on Will.

"Nothing so far. He questioned your father about that night, but his wife insisted that they were home together during the storm. So for now he has an alibi. Rick did say that your father turned pale when he found out that you and Merle were alive, but he didn't let onto anything. Gorman is actually contributing to the investigation and yesterday they made a trip back up to the cabin to look for evidence. Rick said that as soon as you and Merle were healthy enough, he wanted to bring you both back up there to try to re-create what happened." Alyssa told him, noticing that Daryl paled at her statement.

"Not exactly wanting to go back up there." Daryl confessed.

"I know Daryl, but it may be the only chance they have of putting the pieces together and finally getting your Daddy put away. I'll be there with you every step of the way Daryl…you don't have to go through this alone." She assured him.

Daryl didn't really have much to say after that. His mind was racing and he had a sense of dread, but he knew he needed to do what was right, and making sure that Noah's killers were caught was the right thing to do.

…

Daryl and Alyssa went up to the farmhouse to check on progress and Daryl had to admit he was pretty excited to see all the work that Tyreese and his crew had made. The floors were polished and looked brand new, the porch was completely finished and the windows had all been replaced. The fireplace had been re-furbished on the interior, but Tyreese had told Daryl that he would feel better if they hired another person to handle re-constructing the chimney on the exterior of the house. Daryl agreed it was the safest option and Tyreese told him he knew someone that would be perfect for the job.

After inspecting the house progress, Alyssa had Tyreese help Daryl load Daryl's old crib into the back of the pick up that they were still borrowing from Hannah. She had told Daryl that she wanted to re-finish the crib and he didn't dare disagree with her. He had already seen a bit of her tenacity today and didn't want to cross her again. He assumed pregnancy hormones were giving her a shorter fuse to deal with him, and the last thing he needed was to have her wrath brought down on him again. Besides, she had waited on him hand and foot for nearly a week on top of still handling her farm and house responsibilities and she deserved better. So when she expressed wanting to bring the crib back to the house he was happy to oblige.

They had still not told anyone about Alyssa being pregnant, well at least officially. Daryl remembered confessing to Merle that he thought she might be expecting, but he had not confirmed it with his brother since at the time they hadn't been sure. As bad of condition as he and his brother had been in at the time he wasn't even sure if Merle had remembered what he had said. Alyssa didn't want to say anything to anyone until Daryl was back up and around. Since he seemed to be doing much better she let him know that she wanted to start telling people.

Shortly after they got back to their house and got the crib into the now crowded guest bedroom they heard Hershel's truck pass by headed up the path to Merle and Beth's house. Annette had been accompanying her daughter since Merle had been hospitalized and Hershel was right by his wife the entire time. Alyssa had been relieved to have Beth's parents keeping an eye on her while she looked after Daryl. She wouldn't admit it to anyone, but she was exhausted. Between handling the dairy, her pregnancy, caring for Daryl, and just worrying if they were safe from Will was wearing on her. She was so thankful that Daryl finally seemed to be returning to himself. She hated to be so heavy handed with him earlier in the day, but he needed to get himself out of that bed or he would continue to withdraw, and after all the progress they had made together since they had met, she didn't want to risk a set back.

…

An hour later Alyssa had dinner in the oven and Daryl asked if they could go check on Merle. She agreed and told them they had an hour before she had to return to the house so she could remove the baked chicken and potatoes she was making for dinner. That would give them more than enough time to visit, but allow her an exit so she could home and hopefully rest.

When they arrived at Merle's house, Merle was sitting on the couch with Beth firmly planted at his left side. Daryl gasped when he saw how much weight his brother had lost over the past week and at the large amount of bandaging around what used to be his right hand. Merle didn't miss the look on his younger brother's face.

"Damn boy, you ain't got no kind of poker face." Merle teased as Beth squeezed him a bit tighter. She had been so terrified she was going to lose her husband, and now she was just as scared to let him go. She looked exhausted and Alyssa noticed that Annette had moved the hassick from the chair and put it in front of Beth on the couch so she could prop her swollen ankles up.

"Reckon the only thing that kill a Dixon is Dixon…you're tougher than nails Merle. Can't believe you are still smiling." Daryl replied dryly.

"Hell, why wouldn't I smile? I'm breathing ain't I." Merle replied.

Hershel then spoke "Well since I have all of you here I was going to bring up the idea of y'all hiring someone to help out around the farm. With Beth expecting and having some complications, and both of you boys at less than a hundred percent I don't think you're Uncle Jess and Alyssa can handle everything on their own. I'd help out myself, but with Shawn gone and with calving season beginning, I don't have the time to help out like I would have liked too. I know a couple of men in the area that could use the work and was wondering if you would like me to ask them on your behalf to come by and talk to you?"

Daryl knew they could use the help and was thankful for the suggestion. He then looked at Alyssa and she gave him a nod. "Well, we just found out some news. Alyssa is expecting too, and I'd really like to pull her away from working so hard so she doesn't have any complications as well. If Merle is in agreement, I'd be obliged if you could do that for us Hershel."

"Fine, I'll talk to Theodore and Zach tomorrow and have them come by. I'm assuming you won't have any issues with a colored man helping out around here?" Hershel asked.

Merle was the first to speak "Not one bit. Just as long as they are good workers I don't care if they are purple. We need all the help we can get, we gotta start planting next week and we still have livestock we need. I'll run it by Jess to make sure, but I don't think it will be an issue."

"I saw Jess plowing in the upper field earlier this morning when we left to come to the hospital and he looked plum worn out." Annette told them.

"Hannah and Clarissa have been by the house a few times this week to check up on Daryl, but I hadn't even thought about Jess. I feel bad for not thinking about him sooner." Alyssa admitted.

"Now you listen to me young lady, you are in a delicate condition and you need to take it easy as well as Beth. I remember how tiring the first trimester could be. When is you due date?" Annette asked in a sweet and motherly tone.

Daryl spoke before Alyssa "September 2nd ma'am." Annette smiled at Daryl when she saw the look of excitement on his face.

"Right after the crops get harvested…did y'all plan this?" Merle joked. Both Daryl and Alyssa responded at the same time "NO!" and everyone broke out into laughter, and after the week they had all endured, that laughter felt good.

Shortly thereafter Hershel and Annette left and Alyssa insisted that Beth finally take the time to go lay down so she could give her a quick check up. This left Merle and Daryl alone together for the first time since everything had happened.

Merle spoke first (like he always did) "So how are you holding up baby brother? You look like you're healing up pretty well. Beth told me you had a mild case of pneumonia. Good thing they caught it in time. That could have turned out pretty bad."

"I've been a pretty shitty husband this past week. Alyssa finally threatened to kill me this morning if I didn't get out of bed. I kept myself stoned on the pain meds and just slept. Merle, I can still see everything clear as day in my head whenever I close my eyes." Daryl confessed.

"Yeah, I know what ya mean, I can too. You do know we didn't do nothing wrong?" Merle said to Daryl.

"You sure about that? We could have waited for the weather to lift, or we could have watched to make sure no one was following us? I think there were a lot of things we could have done different. If I hadn't been so eager to find out if Alyssa was expecting I would have pushed more to wait a day. Then maybe this wouldn't have happened." Daryl told Merle.

"What, you think you're a fortune teller now? Can see the future? Neither of us thought anything could happen. We were trying to do right by that family and it didn't work out. Plain and simple Daryl. I ain't saying I don't feel bad, because I do, but it won't our fault. Just like what happened in the War weren't your fault either. Don't let this eat you up baby brother. I got faith that this crime ain't gonna go unanswered. They're gonna find Mitch and those other two losers and then they are gonna point the finger at daddy dearest." Merle said in a determined tone.

"Doubt that. Nothing ever seems to stick to that sorry bastard." Daryl said in a somewhat defeated tone.

"Now you listen to me Daryl, and you listen good. I don't want you slumping around feeling like this is all your fault. Whatever happens with good old Will has no effect on us. I want the asshole caught and strung up as bad as you, but I ain't gonna risk my life or my families life to get it done. You got a baby to focus on now, just like me, and that is where your head needs to be. For now, I gotta heal up and learn how to do everything with one arm, and I ain't gonna lie, that scares the shit out of me, but I will tell you one thing. I'm gonna hold my baby and make love to my wife like I always did…one handed or not. The way I see it you got an advantage over me, you still got both your hands. I ain't feeling sorry for myself and you don't need to feel sorry for yourself either. We're Dixons and we are strong…don't forget that." Merle preached at his younger brother.

Daryl thought about what Merle just said to him and he was right. "OK, well the first thing I'm gonna do tomorrow is meet them men Hershel told us about and if things work out, I'll get them started. I don't think I'm gonna be out of commission more than a few days, but the extra help will also allow me to help Alyssa out some too. She's exhausted, I can see it in her and I want her to take it easy. Same thing for Beth. Neither of them need to do anymore around the farm until after they have these babies." Daryl said.

Merle let out a laugh "Well I don't think it is an issue with Beth, because she's already been scared about the baby, but good luck with the Doctor. She's gonna insist on helping until she thinks she is risking her health, and she would know better than all of us when that is. Word of advice for ya baby brother, let her make that decision. She's smart enough to know when too much is too much and she's gonna want to help. I ain't never seen a woman want to help out more than your wife. You got yourself a good one baby brother."

"I know, but that don't mean I can't at least try to get her to take it easy. That goes for you too. I don't want you out there trying to do too much too soon. You ain't got nothing to prove Merle. I already know you are one tough son of a bitch." Daryl told Merle.

"Don't you forget that either. Just cause I lost a hand doesn't mean I'm still not tougher than you. Don't make me remind ya about that." Merle cackled.

Daryl gave Merle a genuine smile. He always knew Merle was strong, but by the way he was handling what had happened to him, it just proved it all over again. Merle was right, there wasn't really anything they could have done any different, and there was nothing to say if they had waited a day the same thing might not have happened. Maybe they were being followed all along. One thing was for certain, Daryl was going to make sure that Will would receive his penance for what he had done. Even if he hadn't pulled the trigger or placed the rope around those boy's necks, he still was the reason it happened.

For now Daryl would focus on keeping Alyssa happy and healthy, running the farm with Jess while Merle recovered, and getting their new house ready before the baby came. He and Merle had both escaped death, and Daryl needed to make sure he did everything he could to keep his family safe. That meant that the biggest threat they had against all of them had to be eliminated, and that threat was his own flesh and blood. Will Dixon had to be stopped, but right now Daryl had no idea how he could do stop him. The only thing he had were his life skills, and some damn good hunting skills that needed to be dusted off and put to good use. Tomorrow after he got things settled with the farm, he was going to make a trip into town to talk to Rick Grimes. Maybe between all of them they could put an end to the senseless persecution of people who didn't deserve it, and properly punish those who were behind the violence. If Will Dixon thought he could be the judge, jury and Executioner of those with a different skin color, then Daryl Dixon could be the judge, jury and Executioner of the man who embodied everything that was evil.

…

That night after dinner Daryl and Alyssa sat curled up on their couch in front of the fireplace and listened to their radio shows just as they did before everything happened with Noah. They talked about their plans for the house and the farm. Just as Merle suspected she was reluctant to step back from her responsibilities in the dairy. She did agree to take it easy though, and if she got tired she also agreed she wouldn't push herself and she would let Daryl know. Even though she knew just about all you could know about pregnancy, it didn't mean that she still wasn't scared. Her and Daryl's life would be different the second the baby was born, and this life that they created would depend on them solely to survive. She knew Daryl was just as nervous as she was, but she also knew that he would be an absolutely wonderful father. Nothing in this world was perfect, and she had no illusions that she and Daryl would be perfect parents, but they would do everything in their power to be the best parents they could be.

"Daryl, you seem to be at peace with yourself." Alyssa whispered to her husband.

"Reckon I have you and Merle to thank for that. You both made me realize it really wasn't my fault. I gotta stop blaming myself for things I can't control." He told her as he pulled her a little tighter to him.

"Finally! You do know you are going to be a great father." She said as she gave him a soft smile.

"I'll do my best Alyssa, but you know I didn't have the best example. Can't believe he's gonna have another kid." Daryl said.

"I know it's not likely, but maybe he will be different with this one, his wife seems to keep him in line." Alyssa mused.

"It won't last. He's gonna get tired of the not drinking and acting civilized. It ain't in his nature to be caged up like that. I just hope you're right about the baby." He admitted to her.

"You realize that unborn child will be our baby's aunt or uncle?" She asked him. At that thought they both let out a laugh.

In spite of Daryl's healing body, he finally felt good about himself. When he woke up this morning he didn't want to do any more than just sleep away his pain and grief, but Alyssa stood up to him and made him step outside of himself, and it had worked. Her love for him and her internal strength were gifts he had never had after his mother passed away, and now he had those gifts every day. And then there was Merle. Merle who had endured just about everything Daryl had in life was always looking at the positive. The man was now permanently disabled because of their father, and Merle still was caring and happy. Life never seemed to defeat his big brother and maybe that was the reason that Daryl was still here today, in a much better place than he ever thought he could be. Maybe Daryl had the worse kind of father imaginable, but he did have an older brother that did everything he could to take care of him, and an Uncle who did his best to mentor Daryl and at times Merle as well. He might not have had a good example of parenting from Will, but he had Merle and Jess to show him what it meant to care and nurture. Hell, Merle had only been twelve when he effectively had fell into the role as Daryl's guardian. Daryl could do this, he could be a good father, because he had his family and he had his Alyssa. Daryl found himself smiling and he couldn't stop it.

"What are you smiling about Daryl?" Alyssa asked him coyly.

"Just thinking about what a damn good daddy I'm gonna be. If it's a boy, I'm gonna teach him all about farming and hunting, and how to treat a lady." Daryl told her.

"And if it's a girl?" Alyssa asked him.

"Then I'm gonna build a giant fence around this place and never let her out of my sight. Ain't never been a Dixon girl before, and I'll be damned if any man in this county would be good enough for her." Daryl said emphatically.

Now it was Alyssa's turn to laugh. "What if she wants to farm and hunt?"

"Even better. She can shoot any damn boy that comes around here herself. Give me less to worry about." He told her. Now both of them were laughing.

As they both slowly began to wind down from the day they were startled with a late phone call. Daryl got up from the sofa and answered it.

"Daryl, its Rick. They found your truck abandoned at the state line, and they found Alyssa's truck in Murphy North Carolina. Her truck wasn't abandoned. North Carolina has Mitch, Dave, and Tony in custody and they are extraditing them back to Georgia tomorrow. Do you think you can come down and ID them in the morning?"

"Hell yeah, what time?" Daryl told Rick as he began to smile again. Will's house of cards was about to crumble and Daryl would be the first to pull out the card on the bottom.

 **Hey Guys- Sorry this has taken so long to update. My father in law passed away unexpectedly and my Mother in law was just diagnosed with terminal cancer, so I've been working hard on trying to keep my husband grounded. It's been a tough couple of weeks.**

 **Anyhow, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Not a lot of action, more of Daryl putting himself back together again. Drop me a note and let me know what you think. I'm going to be gone for a few days to Texas for my father's memorial service, so there won't be any updates until next weekend. Thank you for your patience. I love these characters and I hope you like them too.**

 **Thanks for reading-**

 **Missy**

 **XXOO**


	23. Chapter 23

May 1939

Alyssa soaked her exhausted body in the bathtub, trying desperately to gain some sort of relief from the already stifling heat outside. It was only May and already an early summer was setting in. Things for the Dixon families over the past few months had gone from bad to worse, and as much as she tried, Alyssa couldn't help but worry about what was to come.

Along with the excessive heat they were dealing with they were also dealing with a rare spring drought. They had not had measurable rain in almost two months and the crops were struggling to survive. Daryl, Jess, and Merle were working non stop using a rudimentary windmill system to pump water from the three ponds and the creek that were on the property, but now all the water sources were running low and Daryl was even concerned about the wells on the property running dry. Since discovering that she was pregnant Daryl had refused to allow Alyssa to work on any of the strenuous farm duties, so that meant she had been relegated to the dairy and maintaining the vegetable gardens. He had even forbid her from working in the poultry house since there was the risk of disease associated with the birds.

Merle had recovered well, but he had quickly figured out he was severely limited in what he could do around the farm. He had been fitted with a prosthetic hook for a hand, and it helped him with some things such as carrying items and getting dressed in the morning, but he couldn't do other things such as mechanical work that required two hands, and milking took him twice as long. It was evident to everyone that he was frustrated, but he had tried for a while to remain as positive as he could be. That had changed over the past month though, and everyone could see him slowly unraveling.

Hannah and Clarissa were helping out as much as they could as well, but Hannah had come down with a late season case of the flu and was still recovering, while Clarissa still was focused on her school work while helping tend to the house and helping her mother. To put it mildly, they were short handed on the Dixon farm.

Daryl had spoken with the two men that Hershel had suggested to help with the farm back in March. Both Theodore and Zach had been excited to help with the spring planting, and both men were great suggestions by Hershel. The problem was that three weeks earlier Theodore showed up and without explanation stated he could no longer help out on the farm. He collected his final wages and no one had seen him anywhere since that day. Zach had said that the day prior to Theodore leaving he had expressed how much he enjoyed working for the Dixon's and that he hoped that the job would continue through the end of the harvest.

After Theodore left, Daryl and Merle asked around the East Side of town offering work to anyone that had experience, but both were surprised when no one seemed interested. Normally, there were three men available for every job opening, but this year it seemed there were no takers. After no one on the East Side was willing to come work for the Dixon's, Merle and Daryl began to look everywhere in the area, and still, no one responded. It had finally dawned on them that people in both parts of town were avoiding the Dixon's, regardless of how much money they offered to pay. The Dixon's for the most part, were now almost completely ostracized from Holly Springs.

The good news was that Zach didn't leave, and two weeks ago Daryl found a drifter looking for work. He was a young kid, barely out of his teens named Randall. He had been traveling from town to town after losing his family to a yellow fever outbreak, and he was more than willing to help out on the farm. He had a lot of experience with both cattle and chickens, and after working with the kid for a week, Daryl felt confident enough to let the boy stay on. Both Randall and Zach were staying in the old bunk house on the property and received both a weekly wage and were provided with two meals a day.

The farm, and all the problems that they were having this spring were small in comparison to the dark storm that was still looming over all of the Dixons. That storm was none other than Will Dixon himself. After Rick had called Daryl and told him that they had located Mitch, Dave, and Tony the problems with Will only seemed to grow. Merle and Daryl both identified the men in a line up, and the fact that the men's fingerprints were found all over both Daryl and Alyssa's truck tied them to the crime of attacking and killing Noah and his family. They were also held for attacking Merle and Daryl, but the charges against Will didn't stick. There was no direct evidence that placed Will at the scene of the crime, and all three men denied that Will had anything to do with what had occurred. Since there was no physical evidence, and Merle and Daryl could not place Will at the cabin, he was not charged with any crime. Instead, Will now held the job as Phillip Blake's head of security, and many people in town truly believed that Will had genuinely changed for the better. Regardless of Blake's obvious affiliation with the Klan, people in town were just not willing to turn against the man whose family had been one of the founders of the town and had provided the only known medical care for the town up until Alyssa had arrived. The people who were paying the price for Will's manipulation were Merle, Daryl, and Jess and their families. Fortunately, the trial for the three men would be in less than two weeks, and with all the evidence that Rick and Abe had against them meant an almost certain guilty verdict. Merle and Daryl would both have to testify, but as far as everyone was concerned, their testimony would only solidify the case more. Alyssa was at least thankful that the men were behind bars until the trial and Daryl and Merle wouldn't run the risk of running into them in town.

Alyssa leaned back into the cold water in the tub and let out a sigh. The one bit of joy she had these days was the fluttering feeling in her womb as her and Daryl's child moved around. At close to six months pregnant now Alyssa was showing the obvious signs of pregnancy. Her belly was beginning to expand and for the past few weeks she was feeling the tell tale flutters more and more. She had lucked out and had next to no experience with morning sickness and counted her blessings everyday for not having to endure what Beth had gone through. The down side was she was gaining weight faster than she had ever gained weight in her life, and she knew it wasn't all baby weight. When Alyssa was stressed she began to cook, and with her pregnancy she began to bake. At first it was a cake or a pie, but now she found herself baking at least three times a week, and the sugary treats she was making in her kitchen were beginning to catch up with her. Daryl had assured her that even with the extra weight she was still stunning, and he didn't care if she gained a hundred pounds, that he would always love her, but she felt differently about her weight gain. For one thing, she knew it was bad for the baby, and for another, money was tight for them these days and she couldn't afford to waste money on buying new clothes.

With the threat of the crops withering, and also with the price of cotton dropping, Daryl had sat down with Alyssa and they had come up with a budget in case they were unable to bring the crop to harvest. Daryl had told her that he could only remember twice in his lifetime that it had happened, and the only thing that had pulled the family through those lean times was the dairy. Jess had even taken work in the mines in Tennessee back then to help raise cash to cover the taxes on the farm. With all the money that Daryl had spent on refurbishing the farm house, his savings account was lower than he felt comfortable. They had decided to use Alyssa's savings to cover them until the harvest hopefully happened. That way Daryl's funds could remain untouched and hopefully earn interest. That meant that they were living a lot leaner than normal. With a baby on the way, Daryl wanted to be sure that they didn't find themselves in trouble. The good news was that even though the family had been somewhat black balled by the rest of the town, the Dairy was still producing a good sum of money to carry them through on a day to day basis.

Alyssa got out of the tub and wrapped herself in a towel. As she headed to the bedroom she heard the front door open and Daryl had come in from the fields. He was hot and sweaty and by the dark circles under his eyes she could tell he was exhausted. It was close to dinner time and she hoped he was finished for the day.

"Hey sweetie, are you done for the day?" She asked.

"Wish I was. We are going to try to dam up the creek and try to flood the upper fields this evening. Damn ground is parched and pumping water from the ponds ain't cutting it. It's probably gonna piss off the folks down stream, but if we just block ninety percent of the creek and let a small amount pass through it should be enough to allow them water to feed their wells. Ain't no farms down creek for miles and by then the flow should be back to normal." Daryl told her.

"Daryl, you've got to take it easy, especially in this heat." She told him.

"Heat's only gonna get worse as the days pass. I'll be fine. Merle and Jess are already digging trenches and I thought I'd stop by to get some water and to check on you. How ya feeling?" He asked her as he walked over to her and placed his hand on her bare shoulder. Just the slightest touch from him still sent tingles through her body.

"I'm doing fine Daryl. The baby is moving around quite a bit today and I can't wait until he is big enough for you to feel him move." She told him.

"He?" Daryl asked as he looked at her with raised eyebrows.

"Today it feels like a boy…it changes each day." She said giving him a smile.

"Either way I'm happy as long as they are healthy." Daryl told her as he lowered his hand and splayed it across Alyssa's towel covered belly.

"Look, give me just a minute to get dressed and I will make you guys all some dinner. I've got the fried chicken from dinner last night and some biscuits and beans y'all can eat as well as filling up a thermos of some water for ya. Y'all need to keep up your strength." She told him and he leaned in and gave her a kiss.

"Thanks Alyssa. We should be done before sunset then I'm gonna take a hot soak in the tub. My back is killing me from all the digging. We've got Merle on the tractor since…" He told her without needing to finish his sentence.

"How's Merle doing with it all?" She asked him.

"Hard to tell. He couldn't figure out a way to work the shovel, so we've got him on the tractor instead, but even with that he is struggling with the gears. He's still helping out a great deal and that's good, but he still ain't as good as he was before he lost his hand. I think he's doing a damn good job, but I can tell it bothers him. Ain't gonna lie, I'm worried about him. He don't talk too much these days, and that ain't like Merle at all. With all that's happened to him lately I think he is losing his confidence, and that's the one damn thing Merle always has had plenty of." Daryl told her, expressing his continued concerns regarding Merle.

Merle had been optimistic at first when recovering from the injury, but when he tried to go back to the same old routine as before, he struggled with even the simplest of tasks. He knew there would be a transition period, but now nearly three months later he still was struggling with things that he had been certain he would have mastered, one hand or not. That had been the first blow that Merle had dealt with. The second came a little over a month earlier.

Rick, knowing that Merle had grown exponentially in his faith and now had a well respected position as a church Deacon had approached him and asked him for some assistance. It seemed that very few people in Holly Springs were willing to help out the individuals on the East Side of town re-build. Dale Horvath, Shane, Daryl, and just a few others were about the only men in town willing to roll up their sleeves and help. Merle wanted to help out but with his injury he was very limited in what he could do. So Rick asked Merle to use his sway and charisma with the church members to see if he could convince them to abide by their Christian duties and help their fellow neighbors.

Merle stood up in front of the congregation and gave a heart felt speech to his fellow parishioners, but after the service was over the only person who volunteered to help out was Tobin. The lack of response left Merle devastated and made him feel like a further failure. Beth tried her hardest to convince him he had done all he could possibly do, but it appeared no one in Holly Springs was willing to help out. Merle was beginning to feel more and more despondent as each week passed and Beth was more than a little worried, but she didn't want to burden anyone with her concerns, but she had confided in Alyssa. She could see Merle losing himself and it was breaking her heart. She worried that he would lose his enthusiasm for church and slip back into his old ways. The only hope she had at this point was that the impending birth of their child might be what Merle needed to lift his spirits.

…

Finally after months of indecision, Dale decided he would call a Town Hall meeting. He had to somehow convince people to help rebuild and he now had moved to desperate measures. He knew what he was going to propose could cost him the election, but at this point the problems in town were much greater than Dale as an individual, and if it cost him the election, he would at least know he was trying to do the right thing. With the way that Philip Blake had been campaigning against him for the past few months, Dale seriously didn't think he would have a shot of beating the wealthy man. Dale had been the comfortable choice for Mayor in Holly Springs over the past twenty years, but with the Klan now getting so deeply involved in local politics Dale's beliefs and way of managing things for the town was no longer what people wanted. They wanted the old guard back…White Superiority and Old Money like what Blake offered. The Klan had instilled fear in the tiny town, and that fear was going to get more innocent people killed. The fire and the lynchings were just the tip of the iceberg of what was to come if Blake did get elected, but Dale was at a loss of what he could do to counter act the winds of change that were blowing over Holly Springs.

…

The next morning Daryl had been so exhausted from work the day before he didn't wake up before sunrise like he normally did. He let out a grunt when he got out of bed and muttered something about "getting too damn old." Alyssa was still sound asleep and Daryl decided to let her to continue to rest so he went into the kitchen and made a pot of coffee and grabbed some leftover cornbread from the night before and headed out to the Dairy barn. When he walked in he was greeted with the sight of Merle, Randall, and Zach standing over one of Merle's heifers.

"What's going on?" Daryl asked in a curious tone.

"Two of the heifer's are sick. They were fine yesterday and today they can barely stand. We're at risk of losing the calves and the mother's if we can't get a handle on this." Merle said in a serious tone. Both Zach and Randall looked at a loss for words.

Finally Zach spoke up "Should I go and get Doc Greene to take a look at them?"

"Yeah, that might be a good idea." Merle replied in a worried voice. He then instructed Randall to go summon Jess to the barn as well.

With all the problems they were having with the drought, the Dairy was a secondary and still profitable part of the family's income. They still only had half of what they needed in the poultry house to start turning a profit and that was because with everything else going on Daryl hadn't had the time to go to the stockyards to purchase what they needed.

"I'm gonna make a trip up to Galax this weekend and buy some more birds. I'll be gone three days, but at this point we gotta have a back up in case this thing with the cow's is more widespread." Daryl told him.

"We really can't spare you from the farm Daryl, especially for three days. It might be better I go since I'm not as 'handy' as you are around here." Merle replied as he raised his hand with the hook and with a hint of bitterness in his voice. It was something Daryl hadn't heard in a long time from his brother.

"Nah Merle, you can't drive all that way with your hand the way it is. There's a lot of shifting gears as you drive through the mountains and we both know you are struggling with that. Plus, Beth is really close to her due date and you don't want to risk not being here if she goes into labor." Daryl told him.

Merle let out a deep sigh. He wasn't happy, but what Daryl said was true. "Fine, you win. Once again I'm a worthless piece of shit and a god damn burden on every one here." Merle said in frustration.

"Merle, I didn't say that and sure as hell didn't mean it that way. You've done an unbelievable job around here since what happened and I'm damn proud of ya. It's just that you've got some limitations right now. It ain't gonna be forever Merle…it's only been a few months." Daryl said trying to convince Merle that no one thought of him as a burden.

Merle just shook his head but didn't respond. There was an awkward silence between the two brothers that was finally broken when Zach and Randall returned with Jess and Hershel. Hershel examined the cows and had a serious look on his face.

"This has all the markings of poison hemlock consumption." Hershel told them.

"Can't be. I check the perimeter of the fence line at least three times a week to make sure that none is growing. I am damn sure there wasn't any that I could have missed." Merle told Hershel in an emphatic tone.

"We'll take another round when I'm done here. For now all we can do is try to treat the heifer's with a charcoal solution and hope that it can clear the poison out of their system. Merle, I hate to tell you this, but the calves won't survive. You are gonna have stillborn calves." Hershel told them and Merle just stood there looking a cross between dumbfounded and furious.

Hershel administered the charcoal solution, but it ended up to no avail. Within the hour the two heifers had died of respiratory distress and two more of the original eight were showing symptoms of sickness as well. As a precaution Hershel treated the remaining four heifers in case they had been exposed.

The six men then took a walk along the fence line and found something no one had expected. There wasn't any Poison Hemlock growing, but there were several plants that had been uprooted from somewhere and tossed over the fences. Someone had intentionally done this and the evidence was strewn all over the lower quadrant of the field closest to the road. Merle looked like he was going to explode.

"Who do you think did this?" Randall asked innocently.

"I've got a few ideas." Daryl responded as he looked at Merle who nodded in agreement.

"You think this was Will?" Jess asked.

"Of course I do. It might not be him specifically, but I'm sure he is behind this." Merle said angrily.

"You know with him now being Blake's head of security Will's pulling all the strings now. It wouldn't be hard for him to convince someone to do this." Hershel said.

"We'll find out who did this." Daryl then turned to Zach and Randall "Y'all see or hear anything last night?"

Zach then replied "No sir, but I was in bed early last night and Randall wasn't here. He had a date with one of the local girls."

"How about you Randall? Did you see anything when you returned last night?" Jess asked.

"No sir, but I wasn't paying real good attention either. I was kind of happy how my date turned out and was listening to the radio kind of loud when I came in. I also might have had a few too many drinks." Randall confessed.

Jess frowned "Randall, let me remind you I don't condone drinking and driving while you have the farm truck."

"Yes sir, I'm real sorry sir and it won't happen again." Randall said sincerely. Jess nodded at the boy and clapped him on the back.

"It's alright son. Just don't let it happen again and there won't be anymore trouble." Jess told the young man in a reassuring voice.

…

Jess ended up calling Rick to make a police report and Abraham and Eugene accompanied the Sheriff to the Dixon farm. Eugene collected the hemlock plants and Abraham took photo's of the crime scene. By now Abe had been brought up to date on all the activities in Holly Springs and was fully aware of the Dixon's stand against the Klan.

"I reckon I don't have to say that this is directly related to your run-ins with the Klan. It was most likely a Klan member or someone who sympathizes with them tossed those plants over the fence. So far we've got a partial list of some of the active Klan members in town, but they are impressively good at not linking themselves directly to any of the felonies being committed. I hate loose ends…they make my ass itch." The surly redheaded man said in a terse voice.

"I'm going to examine these plants and look for specific soil types to try to determine if I can pin point what part of town these plants came from. Once I do that I'm going to do some reconnaissance on the area and see if I can find some disturbed ground." Eugene told the men.

"You can do that?" Rick asked in an impressed tone.

"Yes Sir I most certainly can. With the drought we are having I can also measure water content and tell how close or far from a water source these plants were growing. It's gonna take me a few days, but I will get it done." Eugene replied.

Daryl had to admit, as strange as the guy was, he was brilliant. Merle looked a little less convinced than the others, but that was because he was worried about his cows and couldn't really focus on the conversation. After Rick and his crew left Merle quickly headed back to the barn with Daryl and Hershel while Jess and the other young men headed back out to the field.

By the end of the day Merle had lost four of his eight cows and Hershel was only sure that one of the surviving heifers had not ingested the poisonous plant.

…

Daryl traipsed into the house and found Alyssa working on his old baby crib. It was something she had insisted on doing and so far she had done a great job. Daryl had helped her with replacing some of the wooden slats that were worn out, and then Alyssa had taken it upon herself to sand and re-finish the wood. She was currently working on the bedding and had even started a baby quilt in a soft yellow and white gingham. Seeing her like this made everything that much more real to Daryl.

"How was your day?" Alyssa asked as she struggled to get up off of the couch she had been sitting on while sewing by hand.

"It was not a good one. We lost half the cows and probably will only have one calf survive." Daryl told her as he then filled her in with the rest of the details of what had happened earlier in the day.

"Daryl, that is horrible. You really think someone did this intentionally? Could it be your father?" Alyssa asked.

"Yeah. Most likely it was him indirectly. He ain't gonna be happy until we are dead or destitute." Daryl said in an exasperated tone as he plopped down in an over sized chair.

"How's Merle doing?" Alyssa asked.

"Why do you ask?" Daryl replied.

"Beth's worried about him. She says he isn't himself." Alyssa told him.

"He ain't…at least he ain't like how he had been since he got with Beth. He was a mess today after losing them cows. You know they are his pride and joy. I hope he can hold it together, especially now with the baby so close." Daryl said in a concerned voice. He had already been worried about Merle, now he was almost frantic.

"Well I'm worried about both of you. Things have been so hard this season, and next week you have your court case against those men who killed Noah and attacked you and Merle. I also found out today that Dale has called an emergency town hall meeting next Friday night too." Alyssa told him.

"I forgot to tell ya…I've got to head up to Galax, Virginia Friday to purchase some more birds. We never got to go to Gainesville on account of everything that happened, but now it's more important than ever that I get that poultry house up and running at full capacity. I ain't got no faith in the crops this year, and we just lost most of the dairy. We gotta have some steady income. I ain't gonna lie Alyssa, things are gonna be tight. I've got my savings, but if we use it to live off of and then to get us going next season there ain't gonna be much left until after next years harvest, and that's if we have a good year." Daryl told her.

"Is anyone going to Virginia with you?" She asked.

"Nah, just me. You need to stay here with Beth. I'll leave about lunch time on Friday and be back by lunch on Sunday. You know I ain't gonna be able to sleep too good without ya beside me so I will leave early Sunday morning to get back." Daryl told her.

"I hate you have to go, but I understand. Maybe we should talk about me returning to practicing medicine again. I could just do house calls until after the baby is born, and maybe we re-visit the idea of us setting up an office in the new house. Thank God we've got that all paid off. We can hold off on all the new furniture for now and just use what we have. My vegetable garden is doing well and between that and what we produce here on the farm and what you and your brother and uncle hunt we should be good for food." Alyssa said.

"As much as I don't want you to feel obliged to go back to work it might be needed, but I don't want you to do anything until the baby is born, and with everything going on I don't want you to do house calls. It's too dangerous right now. If you set up a practice again it will be after the baby is born and it will be here on the property where I know you are safe. Don't worry about it for now and we'll talk about it again in a few months. Is that OK?" Daryl asked her.

"Sounds good Daryl. I gotta start getting out more and exercising though, I'm gaining too much weight." She told him.

"You look beautiful Alyssa, but if you are concerned about things then maybe you can walk up to Hannah's each afternoon and get some exercise that way. It's about a mile after you head up there and back and that should be good. But you gotta take it easy and I mean it. Maybe I should take over the cooking, then you are guaranteed to lose weight." He said as he let out a small laugh.

"Um…maybe I should just eat less of MY cooking instead." She teased back.

…

Daryl had taken a hot bath and Alyssa had cooked a light meal for them to enjoy. They were now resting together on the couch listening to their radio show while Daryl had his hand on Alyssa's abdomen so he could feel his unborn child moving around. There was an urgent knocking on the door that startled them both and Daryl quickly jumped up and ran to answer the door where he found a frantic Beth on their porch.

"Beth…come in." Daryl said as he helped her in the house.

Beth let out a sob, and then doubled over in pain. "Merle's gone crazy and left, and my water just broke."

Daryl and Alyssa looked at each other and Alyssa quickly got Beth to the guest room and told Daryl to go find Merle. It was going to be a long night for the Dixon family.

 **OK- It's been four months and I'm sorry. NO excuses other than I just couldn't find my muse. I hope you haven't given up on me and I hope to hear some reviews from you guys. Drop me a line and let me know if you want me to continue.**

 **A Very Special thanks to all of my loyal readers and I promise to update again within the week.**

 **Take care and enjoy Season 8 of TWD- I'm loving it! Great to see Team Family up and kicking butt.**

 **Thanks-**

 **Missy**

 **XXOO**


	24. Chapter 24

Daryl was a little over come with opening the door and finding a distraught Beth standing on his front porch in active labor. And at this moment he was furious with his brother and worried to death about Beth. She wasn't due for another couple of weeks and he was concerned that the baby wouldn't be fully developed. As soon as Alyssa told him to go find Merle, he was out the door.

Alyssa on the other hand had gone straight into Doctor mode. She had led Beth into the guestroom and quickly did a preliminary check of how dilated Beth was. At the moment Beth was just three centimeters and in the very early stages of labor.

"How long have you been having pain?" Alyssa asked Beth. She could tell by the look on Beth's face that the young woman was terrified.

"Just a few lower back pains over the past few days. I figured they were Braxton Hicks contractions." Beth said as she let out a small gasp.

Alyssa took Beth's blood pressure and pulse and frowned. "Beth, I need you to layback and relax. You've still got a ways to go before this baby is ready to be born and I'm going to call your mother and Rosita to help me out." Alyssa told her sister in law.

"Merle, I want Merle." Beth said tearfully.

"Calm down for me Beth. Your blood pressure is up and I don't want to risk you or your baby's health. Can you do that for me?" Alyssa asked.

Beth nodded. "OK, how about I bring the radio in here and let you listen to some music and just focus on that for now. Daryl has gone to get Merle and I'm sure they will be back shortly. You know that normally child birth takes a few hours so no need to panic. I'm going to make those calls and then I'm going to get all of the supplies we will need. Do you think you can relax while I do those things?" Alyssa asked.

"Yes, the radio will help." Beth said in a soft voice while she tried to get her breathing under control.

"Good girl. Now I want you to think about the baby deliveries you've helped myself and Rosita with and try to remember all of the steps we went through. If you have a good plan in your head about what is going on it will help keep you calm because then you will know what to expect. OK, I'll be back in a bit. If something drastic happens just yell for me, I'll be in the next room." Alyssa assured her.

Alyssa quickly brought the radio into the room and set the dial to a music show Beth could listen too. She then went to the phone and called Rosita, and then Annette. Alyssa looked at the clock and noticed it was nine thirty and then she found a sheet of paper and wrote the time down, as well as Beth's blood pressure and pulse rate. She then put a pot of water to boil on the stove and gathered up all of the supplies she would need. She headed back into the extra bedroom and had Beth fully disrobe and handed her a sheet to cover herself with. By the time she helped Beth undress and lay back down Annette had entered the house, no knock needed.

"Oh my baby girl, why the tears? This is a the most joyous of occasions and you don't have anything to worry about." Annette told her daughter as she quickly went to her daughter's side and took her hand. Alyssa caught Annette up to speed on Beth's vitals and how far dilated she was and Annette just smiled at the excitement of her first grand child being born.

"Have you sent Merle away? I would have expected him to be here." Annette asked.

"Momma we had a fight and Merle left. I'm so worried about him." Beth confessed.

"Why on earth did you two have a fight? He should know better than to upset a woman in your delicate condition." Annette said in a slightly less than jovial voice.

"It was all my fault Momma. Merle isn't in a good place, and losing the cows today just sent him over the edge. I was trying to get dinner out of the oven and it was too heavy for me, so I asked him for his help. He tried to take the dinner out and it slipped out of his one good hand and hit the floor. He was so mad at himself and I yelled at him. He looked at me like I had just spit in his face. I swear I didn't mean to momma, but I couldn't take it back. Poor Merle said he was a worthless piece of…well you know, and said I deserved better than him and in his anger he ripped the phone out of the wall. He then ran out and got in his truck and left. I was a mess and started to cry, and that's when my water broke. I didn't have a vehicle or the phone so I walked down here. I knew Alyssa would know what to do." Beth said in tears once again.

Annette then wrapped her arms around her and began to soothe her daughter. She rubbed Beth's back and whispered softly. "Well honey it was just a misunderstanding. Merle's not been in a good place for the past few months and this was just the straw that broke the camel's back. I'm sure he will be back before you know it."

Alyssa then replied "Now Beth, we talked about you remaining calm. I'm sure Daryl will be back with Merle shortly and for now you can't think about Merle. I need you to focus on the baby and yourself."

Annette helped Beth lay back down and then arranged the pillows so her daughter would be comfortable and Alyssa once again took Beth's vitals and jotted them down on the paper she had set on top of the dresser. By the time she had finished writing everything down Rosita had shown up and Alyssa quickly got her up to speed on everything.

"OK, how do you want to do this?" Rosita asked.

"Since you have more experience than me with delivery, I will let you take charge and I will assist. I will keep up with her vitals and Annette, you just keep her calm for now. I think between the three of us we will have a quite successful delivery." Alyssa assured everyone.

Rosita nodded and did an examination of Beth. She had a few concerns, one being that Beth was such a small girl and the other was that the baby was a few weeks early. With that being said she had dealt with more dire circumstances and had a few tricks that might help the laboring process. Once she was done she looked at everyone. "Alright, we've got this. Nothing to do right now but wait and make sure Beth is as comfortable and calm as possible."

Everyone nodded in agreement and Alyssa looked at the clock. It was now ten o'clock and she just hoped that Daryl found Merle before his older brother did something stupid that he would later regret.

….

Holly Springs had two bars in town, and many unofficial drinking spots all around town. In the times before Merle had settled down he would normally start off in town until he started a fight or broke something, and then he would migrate to the seedier bars outside of town. His favorite place on the outskirts was called Cotton Joe's and Merle could drink cheap, find women of a less savory type, and hear some damn good music. However, considering where Merle was in life these days, Daryl figured Merle would have headed to one of the bars in town. So he decided to start with the one closest to the house.

Sure enough, he pulled into the parking lot and found Merle's truck parked outside. Daryl's first mission was complete. He had at least found out where Merle was. Now as to what condition he would find his brother in was another story. Merle could drink fast, and with the amount of time that Merle had gone without drinking his tolerance would be low. The other thing that had Daryl concerned was that if Merle was in a good mood, he could be a happy drunk, but if Merle was in a dark place…well that wouldn't be good. Maybe he would luck out and just find Merle trying to clear his head. That positive thought stuck with Daryl for all of five seconds when a chair came flying through the front window of the bar. He couldn't be sure if it was Merle that was behind the damage, but he had a pretty good guess that it was.

Daryl quickly ran into the bar and sure enough found Merle brawling with a local loser that Daryl only knew as Len. Merle was a bit larger than Len and had the smaller man on the ground, throwing continuous punches with his one good hand. Daryl entered just in time as two of Len's buddies decided to join into the mix. Daryl ran to his brother's aid and threw the smaller guy off of Merle and slung him into the wall in the back of the bar. Merle was grunting on the floor as the other guy (Daryl thought his name was Tony) now had him in a choke hold while Len pushed up out of Merle's hold and began to kick and punch Merle. Seeing that his brother was still in trouble Daryl did the one thing he didn't want to do, and joined into the fight. A hefty size guy who apparently had been there with the other men that Merle had been fighting with grabbed Daryl and threw him to the floor. He began to assault Daryl with a barrage of punches and Daryl placed his hands and arms up to protect his head and face. Without warning, the man who was punching Daryl was ripped away and Daryl looked up to see Rick and Shane there breaking up the brawl.

Daryl caught his breath and then got up off the floor, noticing that Rick looked less than happy.

"What the hell is going on here?" The Sheriff said as he tried to figure out what had happened to turn the bar into a boxing ring.

Daryl shook his head "You tell me. Looks like Merle and these other assholes had some sort of disagreement."

Merle, who was obviously drunk, started to laugh "Officer Friendly, you showed up just as I was getting the upper hand." Merle raised his handless arm in a mock salute.

"Merle? What are you doing here in this condition? I thought we were done dealing with this shit from you." Rick replied back, not hiding a look of disappointment on his face.

"Old habits die hard." Merle said through slurred speech.

Rick then looked at Daryl "Can you handle him?"

"Yeah, I got it." Daryl said as he reached down and pulled his very drunk brother up off of the floor. "Come on Merle, we gotta get home."

"We ain't gotta do no such thing. I gotta make up for lost time." Merle replied as he reached for another glass on some random table.

Daryl was furious. He smacked the glass out of Merle's hand and then he then grabbed his older brother and literally dragged him out of the bar. Merle was putting up a fight, but in his drunken state he was no match for a very angry Daryl. Daryl opened up his truck and pushed Merle inside.

"What the fuck baby brother." Merle shouted as Daryl locked his brother's door.

Daryl turned and looked at Merle. Merle's face was bruised, his nose was bleeding, and he wreaked of alcohol. "I'm not sure what shit you are trying to pull, but your wife is at my house in labor. The baby is coming and you left her at home without a truck. She had to walk down to the house after her water broke because you were too much of an asshole to work out whatever argument it was y'all had."

"She's having the baby?" Merle said in a suddenly more sober tone.

"Yeah she is. What the hell were you thinking Merle? This isn't you anymore. You start pulling this shit now and you ain't no different than him." Daryl barked at his brother and reminding him of the path their father had gone down.

"Daryl, I can't go back there. That little gal deserves a lot better than a one handed old man that can't even take the dinner out of the oven for her. I'm a fucking worthless piece of shit." Merle replied.

Even through Merle's drunken state Daryl could see the hurt and despair in his brother's eyes. Daryl did feel bad that Merle thought so little of himself at this moment in his life. This wasn't the Merle he knew.

"Look, let's get you sobered up and then get you to your wife. You gotta be there for Beth and the baby. I know you are feeling like you are less of a man because you lost your hand, but you ain't Merle. Don't forget, you were the one who practically raised me, and you were the one that talked me out of running away when I thought I wasn't good enough for Alyssa. Merle, I want my brother back, and Beth needs her husband and your baby needs their father. You were the one that told me that Dixon's were strong, so now is the time for you to be strong and quit feeling sorry for yourself. Merle, you are the toughest son of a bitch I know, so start acting like it again." Daryl told his big brother, hoping to convey to Merle that no one thought of him any less than they did before he lost his hand.

"I have fucked up." Merle hissed out between his teeth.

"Nah, you haven't Merle. If you bail on Beth and the baby, then you've fucked up. You can't let this thing defeat you brother. Give it time and it will get easier. Don't forget, we had a lot of comrades from the Great War that came home in worse shape than you and they went on to live normal lives. It takes time Merle, and patience, which I know us Dixon's ain't really known for. Beth loves you more than anything and she will help you through all of this if you just ask. Now I don't want to hear no more pity party Merle. You're gonna be a daddy and I can't let your new child see you this way." Daryl said as he gave Merle a comforting squeeze on his shoulder. Daryl swore at that point he saw tears forming in his brother's eyes so he looked away casually and let Merle process everything he had just said.

…

As much as Daryl and Merle wanted to go straight to Daryl's home, Daryl knew he needed to get Merle in a presentable condition before he saw Beth. They drove past Daryl's and up to Merle's house, but not before noticing Hershel and Jess's truck parked in Daryl's yard. Yeah, they definitely needed to get Merle sobered up. The Greene's and Jess didn't need to see Merle in the condition he was in.

Daryl told Merle to go take a bath and clean himself up while he made a pot of coffee. While he waited for Merle he saw the dinner that Merle had mentioned still sitting on the floor, along with some other things in the kitchen that he didn't even want to think about. Without even thinking Daryl cleaned up the mess and mopped the floor. It was the least he could do to help out his brother for the number of times that Merle had helped him over the years. Once Daryl was done Merle emerged from the bathroom looking bruised, but a lot better. He also didn't wreak of alcohol which was comforting.

"Here, drink this coffee…you're gonna need it. The whole family is down at my house in case you didn't notice it." Daryl told him.

"Yeah, you might wanna go clean up too." Merle mentioned and Daryl then remembered he had taken a few licks on behalf of his brother.

Daryl went to the bathroom and looked at himself in the mirror. Damn, when had he gotten so old? His shirt collar was ripped and a few buttons were ripped off, and he had a bruise forming on his left cheek. There were a few droplets of blood on his white undershirt, and fortunately for him he knew it wasn't his own. There were no visible cuts on him anywhere so it either belonged to Merle or one of the other guys they were brawling with. Daryl washed his face and then walked into the kitchen and asked Merle if he could borrow a shirt. Merle went into his closet and pulled out a flannel and an undershirt for Daryl. Merle was a size larger than Daryl, but after Daryl tucked it in and rolled up the sleeves you couldn't tell.

"Alright Merle, you ready for this? I think we finally look presentable." Daryl told his older brother.

"Yeah, My head is starting to hurt something fierce, but I think I deserve that." Merle told him. Daryl noticed Merle's face was bruised and his nose was swollen, but for now it was as good as it was going to get. Daryl looked at the clock and noticed it was now eleven o'clock. He had been gone for close to two hours and he hoped Alyssa wouldn't kill him.

They made the short trip to Daryl's house, and with a deep breath, Merle opened the front door and walked into the house with Daryl following close behind.

Hershel was quick to stand up and gave Merle a less than jovial greeting. "I'm not going to ask where you have been or what you have been doing, but I'm glad you are here now. We'll talk about your actions later, but Beth has been asking for you since I've been here. You need to go in and let her know you are alright, though based on your face I'm not sure that is entirely true."

Merle looked at Hershel, and saw Jess sitting on the couch beside Hannah, looking like he wanted to kill him. Merle raised his hands in surrender "I made a mistake tonight that won't happen again. I'll let Daryl fill you in with the details. Let's just chock this up to a very bad day and a giant error in judgment on my part." Merle told the men trying to avoid a conversation he knew would be coming.

"Alright, I'll accept that for now, but just so you know Merle, I've given you the benefit of the doubt when it comes to Beth and I thought you had grown past your old activities I was concerned about. You give me your word it won't happen again and then we will be done with it." Hershel said staring Merle directly in the eye.

"I give you my word Hershel. I love Beth too much to let it happen again and we've all got Daryl to thank for pointing out a few things to me. The pity party is over with and I'm going to be the man I know I need to be. I refuse to let myself become what my father became." Merle said as he stood straight and firm.

Hershel nodded and Jess nodded in affirmation as well. Daryl could fill them in on the details if they needed to hear more, but for now Merle just needed to get in and see Beth. He knocked on the guest room door and Alyssa opened it, a look of relief on her face.

"Merle, thank God. We've been waiting on you." Alyssa said as she glimpsed her brother in law, not missing the fact his face and knuckles were bruised.

He gave her a knowing look "Don't worry about it now, we can take a look at it later." He said lowly.

Merle looked around the room. Beth was laying on the bed covered in a sheet looking like she was in pain. The other women were gathered around and he noticed Alyssa had a tray of medical supplies, plenty of hot water, towels, and a few other odds and ends he didn't recognize.

"Merle, Oh Merle, I'm so sorry…" Beth said as she raised her arms up to her husband. Quickly Merle went to her side and Annette stood up offering her chair to Merle.

"Here you go son, you sit with her for a little while so I can go check on Hershel." She told him offering him a warm smile. He was certain she must have heard about their fight, but she didn't show any ill feelings towards him. Instead she patted him softly on the shoulder and stepped out of the room.

Merle sat down in the now vacant chair and took Beth's hand and placed it to his lips, giving it a soft kiss. "How's she doing?" He asked directing the question towards Rosita and Alyssa.

Alyssa spoke "She's progressing slowly, she's only at four centimeters, so it may be a long labor."

Merle looked a bit bewildered at that. He knew about birthing cows, but had no idea about the specifics when it came to women. "You mind explaining that to me a bit?"

Rosita looked like she wanted to laugh. "Her cervix needs to be at ten centimeters to give birth. When she is at seven centimeters she is considered in the transitional phase of labor. In other words, she still has a way to go before she is dilated enough to deliver the baby."

Merle nodded his head in understanding. Then Alyssa spoke "Beth's blood pressure and heart rate have been elevated, but I'm hoping that now you are here she will be calmer and we don't have to worry about her having complications. Merle, we really are glad you are back."

Alyssa knew Merle was dealing with a lot, and she also knew that what happened tonight was just a culmination of stressful things that Merle had been dealing with. Based on the bruises on his face she figured he had gone to the bar and most likely had gotten in a fight. Daryl had explained to Alyssa that both he and Merle were prone to get into trouble when they drank. Now, even though Merle tried to cover it, she could still smell the slight hint of alcohol on him and assumed he had turned to the bottle to let out some of his frustrations. To be honest, she didn't care. All that mattered was that Merle was here right now and that he seemed to be in a better place mentally than she had seen him in weeks.

Beth was smiling at her husband, relieved he was now here and in one piece. Merle then spoke "Beth I got a lot of apologizing to do to ya."

It was then that Alyssa figured the couple needed some privacy. "Hey y'all, why don't we step outside and give them some privacy. Beth, you or Merle give us a holler if something changes." She then opened the door and led the other three women out into the living room.

Once they were alone, Merle spoke "Beth honey, I'm so sorry. I'm begging you to forgive me. I had no right to pull the shit I did tonight."

"Merle, it's not your fault. I knew you were dealing with a lot of stress and instead of being understanding when you accidentally dropped the casserole on the floor, I acted like a…a…well you know, the word that begins with a "B"."

Merle couldn't help but laugh at the fact that Beth wouldn't swear. "No, you didn't babe. Your hormones are all over the place and Doc told me you might lose your patience every now and then. It was just a really bad day and I've been feeling sorry for myself for too damn long. Instead of being happy that I survived the attack at the cabin, I've been dwelling on all the things I can't do like I could before I lost my hand." He confessed to her.

"Merle don't you know how proud I am of you? It's only been a few months and look what you have accomplished. You are still helping out and contributing to the farm, you have learned to work around your handicap, and you can still make love to me like you did before your accident. Merle you are so strong, but I know even the strongest of men can have weak moments. A weak moment doesn't mean you are a weak man though. I know the real you, and I know you will get through this. Losing the cows is just a set back. What really matters is that you are here and you have your health" She told him as she gripped his hand tightly, her eyes conveying all the love that she had for him.

"Baby I ain't gonna make a mistake like this again. This little one doesn't deserve it and neither do you. I love you so much Beth. More than I thought I was ever capable of loving anyone, and I'm already in love with this little baby. Just promise me you really do forgive me for being an asshole." He said in a pleading tone.

Beth laughed "You are forgiven Merle." He then leaned in and kissed his wife, until she let out a small yelp of pain.

"Am I hurting you?" Merle asked in a panicked voice.

"No, it was a contraction. That one hurt a little more than the others." She told him.

"Alright then, I'm gonna get on up out of here and let the Doc and the other's come in and tend to you. Please don't worry no more about me, I'm here for the long haul and I'll be out in the other room with the rest of the family. You're daddy looked like he wanted to murder me, but lucky for us he had a change of heart. You got this sweetheart, and by this time tomorrow we'll be holding our baby." He said tenderly.

"Yes we will Merle Dixon. Now go drink some coffee and relax. I already feel a lot better knowing you are here. I love you." She told him once again. Merle gave her a classic Merle Dixon grin and then reluctantly headed back into the living room.

…

It was now close to six in the morning and Beth was at nine centimeters. Her labor pains had been coming hard and fast over the past hour and Beth was bravely trying to keep herself from yelping in pain. Rosita had assured everyone that the baby was properly in place and it would be a very short period of time before Beth would be able to push.

Alyssa was pleased that since Merle's return Beth's vitals were good and strong and her demeanor had grown from sad and scared to happy and excited. After all these months and a few scares along the way, it now looked like Beth was going to finally deliver a healthy baby. Within thirty minutes, Beth had now dilated to ten centimeters.

"OK Bethy, it's time." Her mother told her as Rosita had informed the ladies in the room that Beth was fully dilated.

Multiple towels had been placed on the bed under Beth, and Rosita had positioned Beth's legs in a position that would be easier for her to deliver the baby. Alyssa instructed that when Rosita told her to push, that Annette would count to ten and Beth should push through the duration. Beth nodded in understanding and Alyssa gave her a comforting smile "Are you ready?"

"Yes, more than you know." Beth said.

And Beth pushed, for nearly two hours. Finally Rosita spoke "I can see the baby's head now Beth. Just a few more…Beth don't push!" Rosita shouted out in a terse voice.

"I gotta." Beth replied back in desperation. Alyssa hurried to help Rosita and could see the problem. The baby's chord was wrapped around the neck.

"Stop Beth or you will hurt the baby." Alyssa said in an alarming and serious tone. Beth let out a large wail as she fought her body's natural urge to push the baby.

…

It was almost eight in the morning and Merle was pacing nervously in the living room. Everyone was exhausted and Jess was snoring lightly as he was laying on Hannah's shoulder. He had been through this process three times and knew it could take a while. Clarissa had joined the rest of the family in anticipation of the birth, as well as Maggie. She had insisted on going into the room to be there for the delivery, but both Annette and Hershel had told her that she needed to give the ladies space to work. Instead she was allowed a five minute visit to wish Beth luck.

A piercing wail emanated from the room and that immediately set everyone on edge. Beth was screaming and Merle had to be held back by Daryl to keep him from breaking down the door to get to his wife.

"Merle-No." Daryl told his older brother. He was just as scared as Merle, but knew Alyssa and Rosita knew what they were doing. Daryl offered up a silent prayer and did his best to maintain a calm façade for both Merle and everyone else in the room.

They could hear movement and muffled voices in the room, but still the door didn't open. Daryl then heard Alyssa shout "Come on Beth, stay with us…just a few more pushes."

…

Beth was exhausted and after the scare with the umbilical chord all she wanted to do was quickly deliver her baby from the dangers of the birth canal and out into the world where they could draw their first breath.

Rosita then spoke "OK Beth, we've got the head out and now all you need to do is get the shoulders out."

"I'm so tired." Beth moaned.

"You can do this Beth." Annette whispered. Alyssa could see the exhaustion on Beth and Annette looked equally as tired. They had been in the room for eleven hours now, but other than the incident with the umbilical chord, everything was textbook.

"Beth I promise, two more big pushes and we will have this baby out." Alyssa told her as Rosita nodded in affirmation. They were so close now.

…

Merle was heaving deep breaths and Daryl didn't know if he could continue to keep his brother from breaking down the door to the guest room. Once again they heard Beth let out a loud and very long scream, then there was silence….for a moment. The next sound they heard was the cries of a baby. Everyone let out the breath that they were holding and looked at each other. The looks of worry were now slowly being replaced with the look of joy. Now Daryl had another problem, he had to once again keep his brother from breaking down the door to see his new born child.

"Come on Merle be patient." Daryl reminded him.

"I thought I already had been" Merle said back.

Daryl couldn't help but laugh. "Just a little bit more time to wait. Alyssa will let you in as soon as possible."

Ten minutes later Alyssa finally emerged from the bedroom looking exhausted, but to Daryl she had never looked more beautiful. "Merle, you have a son. He's a good size baby and Beth came through like a champ. From all accounts he is very healthy and Beth is already feeding the little guy."

"Can I see her?" Merle asked almost timidly.

"Give me just a few minutes to get everything cleaned up and then you can go in." Alyssa assured him as she headed back into the room.

Merle smiled brightly and turned to everyone in the room "I've got a son." He couldn't believe it. At forty seven years old Merle Dixon was a father.

Everyone came over and began to hug him and Merle couldn't wipe the smile off his face. Daryl went up to his brother and offered him a hug while quietly whispering in his ear "I told you it would get better. I'm proud of ya Merle."

Rosita exited the room next, looking equally as tired as Alyssa. She had bundles of towels and sheets that she carried to the laundry area to be washed. Daryl didn't want to think about what that linen must of looked like. He quickly cleared his mind of such thoughts and waited for Alyssa to return.

"OK Merle, you first. Grandma refuses to leave so I will let you fight her to hold your son." Alyssa teased.

"Grandpa and Aunt Maggie are next." She assured the very anxious duo.

…

Merle entered the room and was immediately brought to tears of the sight of his angel feeding their son. He stood there in awe thinking about what Beth had just done. After all these months of waiting their child was really here. As if sensing his father was close by the little child unlatched from Beth's breast and began to squirm. The child had been swaddled and though Beth looked worn out, she couldn't help but offer up the brightest smile Merle had ever seen.

"Here you go papa, do you want to hold him?" Beth asked already knowing the answer.

Merle couldn't speak, and Annette gave him a knowing smile as she carefully picked up the infant from Beth and handed him to Merle. Merle tentatively took the small bundle from his mother in law and carefully took his son into his arms, almost scared he would break him.

"Hey there son, I'm your papa and I'm so glad to meet you." Merle said softly. He began to rock his son gently as he whispered to his boy, and within a few moments his little boy was asleep in his arms.

Annette smiled at Beth and then looked at Merle "You're a natural at this Merle. Hershel was too scared to move when we first laid Beth in his arms."

Merle just gave her another big smile. He couldn't believe he had been so close to throwing it all away just hours before. Looking at Beth, and holding his son was by far the most satisfying moment of his entire life. Annette stood stiffly and excused herself, leaving the couple alone together.

"What are we gonna call him?" Merle asked his wife.

"I was thinking we could call him Andrew, Andy for short. I like Andrew Merle Dixon…is that OK with you?" She asked softly.

"I think that is a damn fine name for our boy. Are you sure you want to give him my name as the middle name? What about Hershel?" He asked her.

"The next boy we will name after my daddy, for now this is your son and he deserves your name." Beth said proudly.

…

Within the hour everyone had begun to leave Alyssa and Daryl's house. Hershel had to practically drag Maggie and Annette out of the house, neither wanting to leave the new born infant. Everyone had taken turns holding the baby except for Hannah who was still worried about her recent bout of the flu. It was obvious she wanted to hold the baby more than anything, but she didn't want to risk passing on any lingering germs.

Daryl almost seemed as much of a natural holding the child as Merle. When Alyssa saw her husband holding little Andy her heart surged with love. After he handed the baby back to Merle, Alyssa went to Daryl. "This is going to be us in a few months…are you ready?" She asked.

"Ready, hell I'm counting down the days." He told her as he pulled her into an embrace and Alyssa savored the feeling of his strong arms wrapped around her. They were all exhausted after the long night, but they had received the most glorious blessing possible. A healthy baby boy and a healthy mother.

…

Merle and Beth stayed until the next morning, allowing Beth time to rest and recover from the birth. Little Andy woke up a few times to be fed, and Merle and Daryl both helped with the diapering. For just a small moment in time all the problems that had been plaguing the family were forgotten and they all felt a sense of hope that things would get better. Alyssa just prayed it wasn't a false hope.

…

 **Well are you proud of me? A much quicker update than five months. I wanted to take on a few other subjects this chapter, but I decided to just leave it at the birth of the baby. I didn't want to darken a happy experience.**

 **I hope to have another chapter up in a week and I appreciate all my loyal readers for the awesome reviews. I hope to hear from you again and I want to take the time to personally thank all of those who were kind enough to leave a review.**

 **Sharin Cole**

 **Athlete Girl**

 **.2017**

 **ArcheryLefty**

 **Vifly**

 **Pantherbabe4ever**

 **A big thanks to Everyone-**

 **Missy**

 **XXOO**


	25. Chapter 25

**WARNING-RACIALLY INSENSITIVE LANGUAGE-**

It appeared that the birth of little Andy and the talk Daryl had with his brother was just what Merle needed to get his purpose in life back in order. It was a Thursday afternoon and Beth and Merle were completely head over heels in love with their newborn son. Currently Beth was taking a well deserved nap while Annette and Maggie were fussing over the small child. Alyssa had stopped by earlier in the morning to check over Beth and her son and assured Merle that both were strong and healthy.

Merle had come in from the farm to grab his lunch and Annette had him sit down so she could fuss over him since Maggie had decided to feed her new nephew a bottle. Beth had pumped as much milk as she possibly could so that someone besides her could feed the boy. It was a bit of a painful process, but if it allowed her an hour of extra sleep it would be worth it. Merle had watched her once, and only once go through the awkward process of pumping and vowed to himself he would never ever again think of women as the weaker sex. In the past week she had pushed a bowling ball out of her body and now was putting herself through a truly humbling process to make sure their son received the sustenance he needed to survive.

The previous day Hershel had come by and asked Merle to join him on the back porch. Merle knew what was coming, and he had been correct. Hershel had let Merle know in no uncertain terms that if he pulled another stunt like he had the other night, that he would make sure that Merle would be removed from the church as a deacon. Hershel also told Merle that he would definitely re-think allowing Merle to be around his daughter and his grandson. Even though Hershel really had no say in Merle and Beth's relationship, he had no doubt that the man could have a very convincing conversation with Beth now that there was a son involved. All things considered, Merle thought Hershel was fair with his words and Merle assured his father in law that he wouldn't need to worry about him slipping into his old habits again in the future. The two of them ended the conversation in a prayer of 'Thanks' and Hershel said he was content with how things stood at the moment. After their talk Merle had even more respect for Hershel than he had before.

Merle took a look at Maggie feeding his son and spoke "I heard from Beth you and Glenn finally set a date. Is there anything I can do to help y'all out?"

Maggie just smiled at her brother in law "Nope, not one thing Merle. Just make sure you show up at the farm with my sister and this little guy." She told him as she placed a gentle kiss on the baby's forehead. Andy was a beautiful child with a head full of blond hair. You could tell he had curls just like Beth and Merle and even though all babies had blue eyes, there wasn't one bit of doubt that Andy would be blue eyed like his mother and father.

"You keep looking at my boy like that and I'm gonna worry you're gonna steal him from us." Merle teased.

"Something tells me I wouldn't make it three feet without either you or Beth taking me down. He really is a cute boy Merle. Who would of thought an old man like you could make such a pretty baby." Maggie teased back.

"Hey, He's a Dixon, and Dixon's are all handsome men." Merle told Maggie.

"Yeah, well fortunately for you he looks even more like a Greene, and that not only makes him handsome, but smart too." She said as they both let out a loud laugh, startling the baby and causing him to whimper a little.

Maggie began to rock the infant and he instantly calmed down. "You're kind of a natural at that…are you and China…I mean Glenn planning on a big family?" Merle asked, catching himself from referring to Glenn by the nickname he knew everyone hated him using.

"Yes Merle, me and the 'China man' as you call him definitely want to have children. This little guy needs some playmates besides Dixons. It's not going to be long before Alyssa has her baby and Glenn and I will be married by then." She said, trying to sound annoyed, but knowing Merle meant no harm.

"You know Maggie, Glenn's a good man and I know y'all are going a round about way to get married, but I'm genuinely glad y'all have each other. I'll be proud to call him my brother." Merle told her in a serious tone.

Maggie almost teared up at Merle's sincerity. Yes, Merle was rough around the edges and could be a bit outspoken at times, but Merle was a good man. He had overcome so much in his life including an abusive childhood, being forced to take on adult responsibilities at much too young of an age, and now learning to live with a handicap. She was so happy that He and Beth had found each other and couldn't believe there was a time not that long ago that she was furious that Beth and Merle wanted to be together. It just went to prove to her that even with the best intentions people could make judgement calls on others that weren't always fair. She knew that unless things changed drastically, there would be people that would judge her for marrying Glenn just because he wasn't a white man. But she also knew those people were wrong, because Glenn was a good man and she truly loved him, just as much as he truly loved her.

"Merle Dixon, you never cease to amaze me." She said as she lifted the child up on her shoulder and gently began to burp him.

"Hell Maggie, sometimes I amaze myself." He said, half joking and half serious. Merle then finished up his lunch, gave both Maggie and Andy a soft kiss, and then thanked Annette for all her help. He then headed back out the door and towards the farm to work in the field for the rest of the blazing hot afternoon.

…

Merle traipsed out to the lower field where he found Daryl, Jess, Zach and Randall working on a clogged irrigation lines. The water levels were so low in the creek that the pumps were pulling in mud thus causing the clog. Merle raised an eyebrow at Daryl as he approached the group.

"Everything OK with Beth and the baby?" Daryl asked as Merle came over to assess the situation.

"Yeah, just fine. Still can't believe that little boy is mine." Merle told Daryl.

"That makes two of us, good thing it looks like Beth." Daryl teased.

"Damn pipes are clogged. Creeks running dry, and the ponds are as well. Might be time to dig some more wells. We can use the windmills to pump up the water. The water tables ain't as low as the creeks- we had plenty of rain last year and in the fall." Merle mentioned to his brother who was still concentrating on the clog he was trying to free.

"Even if we order the supplies today, it will still take a week to get here. I gotta go through Charlotte on my way to Galax, I can stop at a well supply company on the way back and maybe pick up what we need. We really could use one more hand around here. Wish like hell that Theodore hadn't run off." Daryl told his brother.

"I know. Something doesn't sit right with me about all that. We ain't never treated anyone unfairly, and everyone in town, black and white, are avoiding us like we got the plague. Why do you think that is?" Merle asked.

"Dunno. Maybe they think we had something to do with Noah and his family's death. I mean we were there when they were killed, and we had promised that we would keep them safe. Maybe they think we didn't try hard enough." Daryl said shrugging his shoulders. He was still bothered by what happened at the old cabin and was dreading the fact that both he and Merle had to testify in court in one week. It was hard enough for Daryl to speak one on one with someone, but the thought of having to speak in an open courtroom was downright terrifying for him. He just had to remember that he was doing this for Noah, and that the bastards that had killed the kid and his family, and almost killed him and Merle deserved to be punished.

Merle noticed Daryl zoning out "You thinking about next week?"

Daryl nodded "Yeah, not really looking forward to testifying."

"You'll be fine. Just answer the questions they ask you and ignore everyone else in the courtroom. Focus only on the lawyer and it won't be so bad." Merle offered Daryl, having previous experience of testifying in court. Maybe something good did come from Merle's dalliances with the wrong side of the law.

"I'll do my best. We are supposed to meet with the District Attorney on Tuesday. Don't you think it's strange they haven't asked to meet with us sooner?" Daryl asked Merle.

"I'm just assuming it's because this is an open and shut case. They have fingerprints, and two eyewitnesses who were also victims. This should be an easy win for the Plaintiff." Merle said letting out a laugh.

"Thank God, cause the last thing I want to do is see those three assholes strutting around Holly Springs like heroes. I was hoping that the State would push further to get them to turn on dad, but it appears they aren't going to go that route." Daryl said in a frustrated tone.

"He'll hang himself. Count on it. He's cozy with Blake right now, and you know what they say, the higher you are, the farther you fall. Blake is wealthy and charismatic, but he ain't the brightest man I've ever met. Both of them will screw up and that will lead to their downfall." Merle assured his younger brother.

"Hopefully. Now let's stop talking about this shit and try to get some water flowing to these plants. They already are behind in growth and the last thing I need is for the crops to mature right when Alyssa is about to have the baby." Daryl told Merle.

"Don't worry baby brother, if that happens we've got you covered. Your child is much more important than you helping with the harvest. Trust me, there ain't nothing more special. I never thought I'd feel like this, but my little boy has changed my mind." Merle said proudly.

"I'm happy for you Merle. I can't believe how much has changed in a year." Daryl said as he thought about the fact he didn't even know Alyssa a year ago.

"Things are only gonna get better." Merle promised Daryl. Their conversation ended when Jess walked over to them.

"Need y'all to come over to the house tonight, we've got to discuss business about the farm. Hannah is making dinner and she mentioned that she would love for y'all to bring Beth, Alyssa, and the baby. Is that alright with y'all?" Jess asked his nephews.

"Should be fine for us." Daryl told his uncle.

"Us too." Merle said as well.

…

It was about three in the afternoon and they had finally managed to get the irrigation pipes unclogged and water was flowing slowly to the fields. Daryl wouldn't admit it, but they may have bit off more than they could chew this year. After last years record crops, they had taken a portion of the profit and purchased the fifty acre farm next door. It had been abandoned long ago and the land and outbuildings doubled the amount of land the Dixon's owned. They wouldn't have to pay any profit sharing to Will on anything that they harvested from the new land , and the buildings could be used either to be fixed up and rented out, or for storage. Instead of planting the original fifty acres of cotton that the Dixon's normally planted, this year they added twenty more acres making it seventy acres in total to maintain and harvest. They had made some assumptions when they made the purchase, and the first of those assumptions was they would be able to hire people to help out, but that wasn't playing out the way they had hoped. The other issue was the land had gone so long without being worked that it wasn't producing as well as the Dixon's original land. As a result, they needed to invest in more fertilizer than they were used to purchasing in order to make the land more fertile. With the excessive heat and the lack of rain, the new land was turning into a financial black hole for the family.

Daryl decided to trudge down to the road to check the mail and was surprised to meet a younger man walking up the path towards his house.

"Can I help you?" Daryl asked in a somewhat terse voice.

"This is the Dixon farm? Correct?" The man asked.

"Yeah, who wants to know?" Daryl replied defensively.

"You must be Daryl." The man replied, reaching a hand out to shake Daryl's.

Daryl reluctantly reached his hand out and took the younger man's hand. "You still ain't told me who you are yet."

"I'm sorry, my name is Paul Rovia, but my friends call me Jesus." The man replied. Based on the mans long hair, beard and blue eyes, Daryl could see the resemblance.

"I've heard of you." Daryl said as he rubbed the stubble on his chin. "You've been working down in the East Side of town as a teacher. Now I'm really confused. Why are you here at the farm?"

"You are right, I was a teacher helping the less fortunate in Holly Springs. I also haven't had a single student in the past month. People are scared and the lynchings aren't helping." Jesus told Daryl.

"Not sure I'm putting this all together." Daryl admitted.

"Someone has most of the colored folks terrified to interact with anyone outside of their race. When Noah and his family were killed and then dragged back to town and put on display so brutally, that had an impact. I know what you and your brother did in trying to help out and that's why I'm here. I need a job. Theodore Douglas told me you were reasonable people, and he told me he reluctantly left his job here without much notice. Someone threatened to hurt his family if he continued to associate with the Dixons. But it's not just y'all that they are threatened by, it's any outsiders. They don't know who they can trust, so they are sticking to what, or should I say "who" they know, and I'm an outsider." Jesus informed Daryl.

"So why don't you back to teaching?" Daryl asked out of curiosity.

"With my reputation no white school will hire me, and most black schools are weary of white teachers. So, I'm falling back on what I grew up with and that is farming. Theodore said you had a poultry house-chickens to be exact, and that was specialty growing up." Jesus told Daryl and that peaked Daryl's interest. He would be the first to admit that he was still new and learning about raising chickens.

"Alright I could use the help, but if I do hire you, there will be other responsibilities as well, we are primarily a cotton farm, and that is where we put the bulk of our time and energy." Daryl informed Jesus.

"Hey, I grew up in South Carolina…believe me when I tell you I know about farming cotton." Jesus replied in a confident tone.

Daryl nodded and then led Jesus to the half full poultry house. The weather was sweltering and the smell inside the barn was almost overwhelming. Daryl noted there were at least five or six dead chickens that needed to be cleaned up and burned. With the heat it was to be expected.

Jesus looked at Daryl, also noticing the dead birds. "Already I can give you some advice on what to do about the heat and the dead birds. You need a better ventilation system in here."

"We've got the Main door an the three large windows for air to circulate through here." Daryl told him.

"You need to cut in additional windows on each side of the barn, and then enlarge the window at the back and add a large fan that will increase the air flow in here significantly. You also need to increase the area around the barn for the chickens to roam. You should also add more cubbies for the laying hens and separate the birds you are using for meat production. Based on the number of hens you should also purchase some additional roosters. One rooster for every eight birds. I notice that you don't have that many birds for the size of the building, so if you are considering purchasing additional birds I would purchase the Rhode Island Red chickens instead of the leghorn chickens. Overall they are better producers of meat and eggs. The leghorn's aren't bad, but the Rhode Island Red is better, and they don't really cost much more. They also have a better disposition." Jesus told Daryl.

"Shit, you really do know your stuff. Look, as you can see, I do need help. I was planning on taking a trip to Galax, Virginia tomorrow to be there for the livestock sale on Saturday morning. If I hire you, would you consider taking the trip with me? I need all the advice I can get." Daryl said, almost blown away by this little bit of luck that just fell into his lap.

"So you are willing to hire me?" Jesus asked.

"Yeah, fifty cents an hour and full room and board. We've got two other hands that you would share the bunk house with. It's actually pretty nice. We have electricity and running water. You don't have to share sleeping quarters because we have four separate rooms established for whoever stays there. There is a common kitchen area, and the bathroom has to be shared, but it's comfortable. My wife, Merle's wife, and my Uncle Jess's wife all take turns at fixing the meals and we will also provide regular food supplies so you can fix your own." Daryl told the younger man.

"Sounds perfect. I'll take the job and I'll gladly go with you to Galax." Jesus confirmed.

"So let me ask you something, this ventilation system, do you know about what one of those fans run cost wise?" Daryl asked.

"Usually around a hundred dollars new, but if you could find one used I am familiar with the mechanics of how they run, and I could make sure it's in good working order." Jesus told him.

"We can ask around when we get to Galax and see what we can find. I've got my truck and we will pull a trailer to bring back more birds. Not sure how many I can buy with finances as they are these days, but I'll have a better idea after a family meeting tonight." Daryl said to Jesus.

"I might know a few places we can check on our way up to Virginia." He told Daryl.

"Alright, let me introduce you to everyone." Daryl told him.

Daryl then took Jesus to the bunk house and showed him around, and then brought him out to introduce him to the rest of the men who were working the twenty acres on the new parcel of land. Maybe having someone as knowledgeable as Jesus around would help make up for the shortfall of losing Merle's cows and they could get this season back on track.

…

Alyssa and Daryl arrived at Jess and Hannah's house promptly at six in the evening, and Beth and Merle weren't far behind. Beth had Andy swaddled and Merle was fussing at her trying to convince her that the infant would be much happier if he wasn't smothered in blankets. It was nearly June and close to ninety degrees outside. Merle even tried to talk her into letting the little guy just wear his diaper and a bib and let the baby cool down. Of course, Beth certainly wasn't going to hear any of what Merle had to say.

Everyone ate a light and quick dinner that Hannah had prepared, and the men then retired to Jess's study while the women went to the parlor. Clarissa volunteered to clean up after dinner in exchange for getting to hold Andy when she was done. Of course, Beth was more than thrilled to let cousin Clarissa hold the baby.

While the men were handling business, Alyssa and Hannah began to quiz Beth about her life as a new mother.

"For now everything is wonderful. It's like being in a brand new relationship. I wake up and can't wait to hold him, and if I'm away from him, I just can't wait to get to him and just see him. I have never loved anything as much as I do my little boy. I think Merle feels the same way." Beth told them.

Alyssa began to rub her belly out of instinct "I can't wait until this baby is born. So far I've done really well with the pregnancy, other than the fact that I've gained thirty pounds in six months. Beth, how did you avoid gaining weight?" Alyssa asked.

"Don't forget, I was sick most of my pregnancy. I wouldn't worry too much about you gaining weight Alyssa, it looks good on you. You know most of it is baby weight anyhow and it will drop off right after the baby is born." Beth assured her, but Alyssa knew that wasn't entirely true.

"Well, we can go with that story, but I know for a fact that I have eaten more than I have ever eaten in my entire life. Everything tastes so good and I've used the pregnancy as an excuse to stuff myself." Alyssa confessed.

"At least you're gaining weight in the right places." Hannah said, pointing to Alyssa's chest and hips.

"Daryl hasn't complained, but that is because I think he believes everything will go back to how it was before I got pregnant." Alyssa told them.

"Trust me, Daryl won't complain." Beth added with a laugh.

"I'm feeling so self-conscious about my body that I don't want Daryl to see me without clothes on." She admitted to the other two women.

Hannah reached out and patted Alyssa on the arm "Alyssa, never let yourself think that. Daryl loves you as you are. I don't doubt one moment that he still adores you as you are right now. He loves you for what is inside of you, not your appearance. Now don't get me wrong, you are still stunning, both you and Beth are beautiful, but don't under estimate Daryl. He knows your body is going through changes, and he also knows that you are carrying his child. Daryl's body is going to change as he gets older too. Does that bother you?"

"Of course not, I'd love Daryl no matter what." Alyssa exclaimed emphatically.

"So why do you worry about how Daryl would feel about you gaining a few pounds? I've gained weight and aged since Jess and I were married, and he loves me more now than I think he did even back then and I feel the same about him. The best advice I can give you Alyssa is just don't worry about it. If he knew you were thinking like this I think he would worry that he himself was doing something wrong." Hannah explained.

"You are so right Hannah, I need to just get over the fact I won't have a twenty three inch waist again." Alyssa teased.

Then Hannah laughed "I need to accept the fact I never had a twenty three inch waist." After her comment all three girls burst into laughter.

…

While the women were discussing 'womanly' things as Daryl referred to female conversations, the Dixon men had serious business about the farm to discuss. Merle wanted to purchase four more additional cows and was willing to pay the premium price to purchase pregnant cows, but Jess said that they couldn't afford that right now. They decided that they would purchase two heifers and one calf. The one Bull that Merle owned was not in the pasture the night of the poisoning, so he didn't need another male. If they purchased the Heifer that was out of season but still had a calf, she would still produce milk, and they could breed the other heifer immediately. If they did that then they could just run with a smaller scale of milk production in the dairy for this season.

It had also been decided that they would let the cattle pasture in the rarely used upper field on the new property instead of the lower field close to the road. That would help eliminate the risk of someone dumping more poisonous weeds in an area that was both accessible to strangers as well as not easily visible to anyone on the farm. The new property was close enough to Merle's house that he could visibly see the plot of land from his back porch. Daryl even suggested they purchase a few cattle dogs that could roam the property and alert them if someone was trespassing on the land.

Daryl told his uncle and brother about the suggestion Jesus had made about the ventilation system for the poultry house and Merle and Jess agreed that it was worth the investment. They also agreed that adding two more wells on the property would help considerably with irrigation not only this season, but it would help out in the future seasons going forward. After an hour of crunching the numbers and cutting expenses as much as they could, they all came up with a revised budget they could agree upon.

Finally Jess brought up security on the farm again. It was obvious after the dumping of the poison hemlock on the farm that the Dixons were in someone's crosshairs. Most likely it had something to do with their father, but since the incident at the cabin, Will had avoided the family at all costs. They had heard rumors of him parading around town with a very pregnant Paula, but they had no idea if she had delivered the baby yet, or even when she was due. It was a sore spot since there would be a new sibling and the brother's doubted that there would be any chance of a relationship with the child. There was also the fear of the child being in a dangerous situation with Will. Hopefully Paula was stronger than Nellie in the sense that she would stand up to Will if the situation arose and the child's safety was being threatened.

It was finally decided that they would alternate nights with the hired hands and keep a watch on the property. Whoever worked the previous nights watch would then be allowed to start their work the next day after lunch, giving them time to get proper rest. It wasn't something any of them wanted to do, but with the tensions so high as of late, they had to do what they could to protect the farm, especially with the court trial coming in the next week. There were a lot of people in town that were sympathetic towards Mitch, Dave, and Tony and with it apparently looking like they would be convicted of Noah's murder, it could make the Dixon farm an even bigger target.

After meeting and discussing the future of the farm, all three men were exhausted. Finances were tight, and even Daryl who had a large amount of money saved at the end of the previous season was concerned about how long the funds he had remaining would last. As excited as he was to move he and Alyssa into the renovated farmhouse within the next month or so, a part of him was concerned that he had spread himself too thin financially when he purchased the home. After Alyssa had her accident Daryl spent lavishly to make up for the guilt he felt because of the fire, and now he wondered if he could have made better decisions financially. Then he remembered how happy Alyssa looked when he gave her the engagement ring, and the other gifts he had bought her while she was recuperating in the hospital. It was then he decided it didn't matter how much he spent, the look on her face and the joy in her heart were priceless. He wasn't destitute financially at the moment, and he knew that somehow he and Alyssa would make it through these tough financial times.

…

That night as Daryl and Alyssa lay in bed discussing their day, Daryl told her about the meeting with Merle and Jess.

"So things are really tough financially huh." She said.

"Afraid so. Alyssa I know this isn't what you signed up for when we got married. You were doing fine by yourself and you were making good money at your practice. I'm sorry about this." He said solemnly.

"What are you talking about Daryl? Do you think I married you for your money? Of course, I heard a few people say that after you got me this amazing engagement ring it was all about the money, but it's not true." She was giggling as she teased him. " I love you Daryl, and I don't care if we have to live in a box…as long as we are together that is all that matters." She assured him.

"Still don't know how I got so damn lucky finding you Alyssa. I love you so damn much." He confessed to her as he pulled her closer. Just as he wrapped his arms around her, the baby kicked and he felt the small movements against the palms of his hand as they were splayed across her belly.

"I think our little one senses his daddy is close by." She laughed.

"Can't wait to meet her or him. Seeing Merle and Beth as parents just has me more excited than ever. We've got three months and those months are gonna seem like eternity." He confessed.

"It's gonna be a busy three months for sure. I hate that you have to go to Galax tomorrow, but I feel better with Jesus going with you. I met him a few times when I was working in East Holly Springs and was impressed with his kindness. I'm really surprised that even he has been closed off from the families down there. I wonder if the trust has been irrevocably broken because of what has happened? Too many innocent people have been hurt." Alyssa said sadly.

"Not all of them were innocent, like Mike Giles, but he still deserved a fair trial. People like Jesus, and us just want to help out, but if they don't trust us or our help, what can we do?" Daryl asked his wife, wondering if anything could help build back the trust.

"Time helps, but for things to really heal then folks are gonna have to have legitimate opportunities to get out of the cycle of poverty that they are struggling with. Maybe with the quarry and the jobs that are going to be available it will offer an opportunity for people to start building a future for themselves. I heard a rumor that the man who owns the quarry will be at the Town Hall meeting next week so he can introduce himself. All I know is that he is name is Mr. King and that he is from Savannah." Alyssa informed Daryl.

"Well they said he was offering good wages and he was not concerned about race so I look at that as a step in the right direction." Daryl told her.

"Mmmm…"Alyssa replied as Daryl noticed she could barely hold her eyes open. He leaned in close and gave her a gentle kiss.

"Get some rest baby." He said softly as she nodded off with him following right behind her.

…

The same night that the Dixon's were having their discussion about the farm, Milton found himself with a rare night off from the hospital. He decided to go to one of the fine dining establishments in Canton and order a steak dinner. He was surprised when he walked into the restaurant to see Dr. Philip Blake seated at a large table with another physician he used to work with, Dr. Peter Anderson. When Dr. Blake saw Milton he immediately waved the man over to his table.

"Won't you join us Dr. Mahmet." Blake said in an extremely friendly voice.

"Well I don't want to bother you and Dr. Anderson's meal." Milton said a bit shyly.

"Oh, it's not bother at all. We were just discussing a few business affairs." Blake replied.

Milton looked at the two men "Are you thinking about returning to medicine?"

"Oh, heaven's no, I'll leave the practicing of medicine up to you and Dr. Anderson. I've got a few other ventures I'm focused on these days." Dr. Blake said practically beaming.

"Philip has political aspirations that we all think will be advantageous to our 'Cause'" Dr. Anderson replied as he slammed back the scotch he had ordered and waved at the waiter to bring him another.

"Cause?" Milton said, a bit interested in what it was Anderson had been mentioning.

"Yes, Dr. Anderson and I hold a few beliefs that we think all good Christian men of the South should believe . At least the civilized ones." Blake said as both he and Dr. Anderson let out a laugh.

"I believe I know what 'Cause' you are speaking of." Milton said, almost certain they were referencing the Klan. He knew several southern physicians who had either directly or indirectly involved themselves in the oppressive White Supremacy group. Milton hadn't really given the political organization a thought one way or the other, but being here tonight with the charismatic Blake had him intrigued.

"And what are your thoughts about that?" Dr. Anderson asked.

"Well, I am not a fan of reprobate, sadistic behavior, or the mixing of the races." Milton said honestly.

"Then I believe you would feel very comfortable working for the cause." Dr. Blake said enthusiastically as he gave Milton a friendly pat on the back.

Milton frowned a little and then spoke "I am not a fan of violence, especially when it involves one of my former colleagues and closest friends."

Blake and Anderson both looked at Milton confused. Milton then cleared his throat and spoke "Dr. Alyssa Cambridge, I mean Dixon now, anyhow, she is a very close and dear friend and she almost died as a result of the cause."

Blake then nodded solemnly "Yes, that was an unfortunate accident. Sometimes in war innocent people are caught up in the casualties. That night an error in judgment led to the fire that almost took Dr. Cambridge's life. I refuse to think of her as a Dixon as she has associated herself with the less tasteful side of the family."

"Why was she even targeted in the first place?" Milton asked.

"Her actions with the 'reprobate' as you called them were a direct threat to the good white Christians in Holly Springs. She was spouting off nonsense about equality, and to be honest, not many people in Holly Springs wanted to be treated by a doctor that treated Niggers." Anderson replied gaining a nod of approval from Blake.

Then Blake replied "Dr. Mahmet, do you have romantic feelings towards Dr. Cambridge?"

Milton turned red in embarrassment "No…well, I did, but she is no longer available for romantic consideration."

Blake let out a laugh that took the men by surprise "I think Dr. Cambridge has had a lapse in judgment. Perhaps the first few months of her marriage to the idiot Dixon man have proven that to her and she is just too proud to say anything. A little bird mentioned to me that her 'husband' and I use the term loosely, is going to be out of town over the weekend. Maybe you could stop by and pay her a social visit, and maybe show her the error of her ways. She is a beautiful woman, and a remarkable physician and she would be an excellent addition to the cause. She just needs to see her way clearly, and maybe you could be the one to show her. You said you are both very close friends, maybe she needs and ear to listen to her."

Milton looked a bit bewildered "I'm afraid I'm too late-she's expecting a child."

"Even more reason to talk some sense into her. She has to think about her child's future, and a segregated society is the best solution for all of us. Also, there is no shame in raising another man's child as your own, and teaching him to be a soldier for the cause. You may or may not know that the Dixon's father is an advocate for the 'cause' and he has proven to be a good and faithful leader for me. In fact, he has been the head of my security and I've never felt safer." Blake mentioned to Milton, knowing well he had touched on a subject that the younger doctor could relate too.

Finally Milton nodded "You are right, It may just be time to drop in and pay a visit to my dear friend."

…

That night when Blake returned home he was exhausted as he collapsed on the couch in his formal living room. Andrea and Penny came in and greeted him and told them about the events of their day. Blake adored his daughter, though his relationship with his wife had become complicated over the past year or so. As Andrea was getting older Blake found himself more and more attracted to younger women. He found himself less attracted to his wife and that lack of attraction had lead to intimacy problems for the couple. Andrea assumed it was a medical condition, and didn't push the issue, though Blake was pretty sure she was finding some sort of comfort elsewhere. It was a topic that they didn't discuss. Then when Andrea had been so brutally assaulted by Mike Giles, his physical attraction to his wife had become non existent. That was until Amy moved in with the family.

Amy was much younger than Andrea, and very passionate about the Cause as was he. Andrea of course, was passionate about Philip's beliefs and had become more involved in the movement after her brutal attack, but Amy was _**willing**_ to do what was needed to forward the cause. Even if that meant using her body to recruit soldiers, or glean information from innocents who had no idea what her intentions were. She and Phillip had moved from a relationship of brother and sister in law to a physical and very intimate relationship two months earlier when Andrea and Penny had gone to Atlanta to visit some of Andrea's old friends. Philip wished he could feel guilty about betraying his wife, but the pleasure he received when he was fucking Amy was worth the guilt. The upside to the affair was that now when he saw Andrea, he visualized Amy, and that meant he and Andrea had become intimate again, though Andrea noted that Philips love making had taken a much darker turn. She didn't question it though because she was thrilled to have her husband back in her bed.

After Andrea and Penny had retired for the evening, Blake was enjoying a Cognac in his study. He was interrupted from his thoughts when Amy came into the room and angrily dropped into a leather chair beside his desk.

"I can't do this anymore. The guy is an absolute creep. I had to let him feel my tits tonight just to prove to him I still liked him. I swear he is a complete dumbass." Any said angrily.

"I assume you had a date with Randall?" Philip asked raising his eyebrows.

"If you want to call it that. The guy has no money and can't even take me on a proper date." She spouted out in a frustrated voice.

"I'll make sure you are financially compensated for your work with the cause. Maybe a shopping trip to Atlanta is in order?" He said offering an olive branch to the angry blonde. That seemed to calm her down a bit.

"Well that would be nice. It would be even nicer if you could join me." She said, hoping to entice him to get away with her from this hell hole of a town.

"You know Atlanta is out of the question, people might recognized us. However, Charleston might not be so bad. I have a conference coming up soon and maybe you can join me. Andrea and Penny are going to some Debutante event in Atlanta and they wouldn't miss either of us." He told her.

"Oh please Philip, that would be divine. I can't keep this up with Randall. The poor guy has no idea that I'm only using him for information about the Dixons, but I don't know how much longer I can act like I'm interested." She pleaded.

"Amy honey, you will do so as long as I need you too do so. Please don't question me again or it will anger me. Do you understand?" Philip said tersely.

Amy knew exactly what he meant. As much as she adored, and even loved Philip Blake, she had seen him angry, and that was something she didn't want to see again. "I understand completely darling. Would you like me to shut the door to the study so we can discuss things in further?" She said as she stood up and slipped her dress off her shoulders and letting it fall to the ground. Smiling to herself as she saw the lust in her brother in law's eyes.

…

The next day at lunch time Jesus and Daryl were loading up the truck and trailer getting ready for their trip to Galax. Alyssa had packed enough food for a week for the two men and Daryl and Jesus had both thrown in an overnight bag. The trip was going to be simple, drive to Galax and spend the night, get up early the next morning and purchase the poultry, and then leave and drive to Charlotte. Once in Charlotte Daryl was going to pick up the irrigation supplies for the new wells they were going to install and then the two would spend the night and then drive back Sunday morning. Daryl hoped to be back before Alyssa got home from church.

Alyssa gave Daryl a final kiss goodbye, and offered a warm hug to Jesus, and asked him to keep an eye out for Daryl. He nodded politely and offered her a smile that was kind and reassuring. She didn't know a lot about Jesus, but she wondered how someone as kind and handsome as him had not yet married. There would be plenty of females that would be attracted to him. Alyssa just assumed that he was too interested in doing good and helping others to be involved in a relationship. None of them had any idea at all that Jesus led a lifestyle that was considered taboo by all of modern society.

After the men left the farm they headed into town to fill up the truck with fuel. While the gas attendant took care of the windows as the truck was fueling Daryl and Jesus headed across the street to the diner to get a cup of coffee for the ride. When they entered the restaurant and placed their order Daryl took a look around and noticed Dr. Anderson entering the store with his wife and two sons. The wife smiled at Daryl and Jesus, but her smile looked forced. Not in disdain towards him, but like a smile of someone who was keeping something hidden. Daryl hated to see any woman look like they lived in fear, and this woman had a look similar to the look Daryl could remember his mother having on more than one occasion when his father was around. Daryl nodded a soft greeting and then he and Jesus picked up their coffee and left, but not before Daryl noticed Dr. Anderson's boots. There was something about the silver tips on those boots that brought back a memory. He then remembered the night of the Klan Rally when he and Alyssa had gone on their first date. The man who was speaking so violently and hateful that night was decked out in robes so you couldn't see his face, but Daryl had noticed the boots. Silver tipped boots, just like the ones that Dr. Anderson was wearing. No wonder Alyssa hated the guy, not only was he most likely abusing his wife, he was also a hate monger spieling out racism any chance he got while hiding behind a white sheet.

When Jesus and Daryl got back in the truck he turned to Jesus "Do you know anything about Dr. Anderson?"

Jesus gave Daryl a look that let him know he knew plenty "You mean about his involvement in the Klan?"

"Yeah, about that. You know who my father is as well…don't you?" Daryl asked out of curiosity.

"Will Dixon? Yeah, I know him, but I don't really associate you and your brother with that man. I know you are very different." Jesus assured Daryl.

"That we are. You seem to know a lot about the Klan, does that have anything to do with why you chose Holly Springs, more specifically East Holly Springs as the place you wanted to teach?" Daryl asked.

"Let's just say when I was in college I ran with a group of individuals that didn't believe in discriminating against anyone. Regardless of their race, religion, or other personal lifestyle choices." Jesus told Daryl, putting an emphasis on the last part of his statement, and hoping Daryl understood what he was saying. It wasn't a subject that Jesus liked to discuss and he wasn't sure if he should mention it to Daryl, but Daryl didn't seem like the type to judge.

Daryl thought about what Jesus said, and realized there was probably a much deeper meaning to part of the statement he had just made. It finally dawned on him that Jesus was talking about his self in that statement, and Daryl realized that there was a reason that Jesus wasn't married. He remembered Alyssa discussing that her uncle who had left her the inheritance had been a 'confirmed bachelor' and then she explained the true meaning behind that statement. It all now clicked with Daryl.

Daryl thought carefully about what he was going to say "Don't matter what someone does in their personal life…that's private and everyone is entitled to that privacy. What does matter is how folks treat others and as far as I'm concerned, you treat other folks a lot better than most."

There was such a look of relief on the face of Jesus that he looked like he might shed a few tears. "I appreciate that Daryl, not very many people know…about my lifestyle choices. I know there are a lot of preconceived notions about people like me, but just so you know, none of that makes me any less of a man. I am more than capable of carrying my share of responsibilities around the farm."

"Didn't say you couldn't. Like I said, your personal life is your business. I like you just fine and I don't think anything more needs to be said about it. Now tell me what you know about the Klan and my father. There ain't nothing I want more than to see that man rot in a jail cell somewhere. The problem is he seems to keep his hands clean." Daryl confessed.

"I don't know if this matters, but there were rumors that I heard before I was cut off from most people in East Holly Springs that there was someone who witnessed your father directly lynching Terry, Mike Giles best friend." Jesus told Daryl.

"A witness? And why would my father handle the lynching of a nobody like Terry on his own when he has a whole crew of people who do what he tells them?" Daryl asked, barely able to concentrate enough to keep the truck on the road.

"Terry supposedly had information on Will that he didn't want to get out. Essentially Terry was blackmailing your father, or at least that was what the rumor was. And before you ask, I have no idea what that information was." Jesus assured Daryl.

"If there is a witness we gotta find 'em. That's the only way we can be sure my father will get the punishment he deserves." Daryl said in an almost desperate tone.

"Then I suggest once we get back and get everything handled on the farm, we work together with the help of Rick Grimes to find out if there truly is a witness and do what is needed to get that witness to testify. You're father needs to be punished for what he has done and it isn't going to be easy to convince a witness from the East Side of town that they will be safe after they do testify." Jesus told him.

"Yep, and after what happened with Noah, and us trying to keep him and his family safe, I don't know that I even trust myself to be able to try again." Daryl said in an almost defeated tone.

"Don't worry Daryl, we'll figure it out." Jesus said trying to convince Daryl this wasn't a lost cause.

…

The Saturday after Daryl had left to go to Galax, Alyssa had busied herself around the house. She had cleaned all the windows, swept all the floors, washed all the linens, and basically scrubbed the house spotless. After she had finished up cleaning the house, she ventured up the path to the farmhouse to check on Tyreese and the progress he was making. She had brought a pitcher of sweet tea and served Tyreese and his crew as he took her around and showed her everything he had done.

"How soon do you think before we can move in?" She asked.

"Probably mid July Ms. Alyssa. Still got a lot of painting and finishing up on odds and ends. I know you want the baby nursery to be perfect and there were some bad spots in the walls we wanted to fix. That will still give you a good amount of time before the baby comes." Tyreese assured her.

"Yes it does Tyreese. I can't believe this is gonna be our home. It's beautiful." She said offering the man a bright smile.

"Thank ya Ma'am. Good place to raise a family. I see you've been doing some work in the flower garden out back?" He asked.

"I have, and I'm so glad you found it. Once I've got it all cleared out we will have a beautiful rose garden. It's going to be so nice to have something from Daryl's childhood still around for him to enjoy." She told him.

"I'm just happy you like all of it." He said as he finished up his tea and then excused himself to get back to work.

…

It was still mid afternoon and Alyssa still had energy she needed to burn. She guessed maybe she spent more time taking care of Daryl than she realized and laughed to herself at that thought. Therefore, she decided to go out and work in her vegetable garden to kill some more time before she finally made dinner and let herself relax for the evening. Since it was still hotter than Hades outside she opted to slip off her shoes and threw on an old cotton dress that still fit and she didn't mind getting dirty. Alyssa plopped down in the soil and began to pull weeds that had begun to take off around her cucumbers. A gentle breeze began to blow and she found herself humming a tune as she worked diligently in the dirt. A sound of a man's voice caught her off guard and nearly scared her to death. She looked up and noticed Milton was standing a few feet away watching her intently.

"Milton, Oh my goodness, what a pleasant surprise." She said trying to get herself up off the ground. Unfortunately her round belly was making getting up a little more difficult than normal. Milton quickly rushed to her and reached to help her get up. He relished the feel of her hand in his.

"Alyssa, I was in town and decided to stop by and check on you. How are you doing?" He asked. The sight of her in dirty feet and clothes broke his heart. His Alyssa deserved so much better than this. Daryl Dixon should hang his head in shame for letting his pregnant 'wife' live in these conditions.

"I must look a total mess Milton. Why don't you come into the house and let me make you a glass of iced tea so we can catch up on things." She said in a genuinely happy voice.

"Um, aren't you worried about what people might think? If Daryl comes in from the field and he sees me here he may not like it." He said, trying hard not to let her know that he knew Daryl wasn't home.

"Milton, you were my doctor, I don't think social conventions are at play here. Come on in and don't worry, Daryl's not here anyhow, he's gone to Galax on farm business." She volunteered happily.

Milton followed her into the small, but immaculate home. He noticed that all of the appliances were top of the line. At least Dixon did provide her with a proper way to cook and clean. If Alyssa was his to take care of, he would hire someone to take care of all of the household chores, just so he could spend more time with her. She would never know what it would be like to go without anything.

Alyssa prepared a glass of iced tea and motioned for Milton to sit down. "I'm going to wash up and change real quick, why don't you pick a radio show for us to listen too while we catch up. Can you stay for dinner?" She asked without thinking.

Milton couldn't believe his luck. Maybe this was the sign he was looking for. She was so enthusiastic and seemed so happy to see him it could only mean one thing, she was looking for him to get her out of the mess she had gotten into. "Alyssa, I don't want to be a bother."

"Oh, no bother at all. With Daryl gone I've got nothing but free time on my hands. I can't believe how much time I spend just taking care of him." She said laughing, not thinking anything about what her words sounded like to the desperate Milton.

"Ok, I will stay then." He replied, trying not to sound overly excited.

Alyssa quickly ran into her bedroom and pulled together some clean clothes and then went into the bathroom. She poured a small bath and quickly cleaned herself up, scrubbing her body clean. After she was cleaned up she put on a red maternity dress and then pinned her hair up into a neat bun. She looked and felt a lot better than she did just a little while earlier.

She emerged from the bathroom and turned on the fan so that it would cool the house down. The Oak trees that surrounded the little house did a good job of keeping the temperature down, but with the windows open and the fan circulating the air, the house actually felt quite pleasant, even in the months of July and August.

Milton could hardly blink when he saw the now clean and put together Alyssa emerge from her bathroom. She had found a few pounds, but it just accentuated her beauty. That should be his child she was carrying, not that beast of her husband's child. Alyssa began to prepare dinner while chatting away about the radio show that Milton had selected. It was a new "Soap Opera" called "When a Girl Marries" and it was about a young couple who had married and the tribulations of life as newly weds. The husband and wife came from varying and different backgrounds and Alyssa found the show to be quite interesting. Milton did too, but for different reasons. He was imagining himself as the husband in the story and Alyssa as the wife.

After a dinner of ham, macaroni and cheese, and green beans Alyssa attempted to clean up but Milton told her to sit down while he cleaned the kitchen. "You've been on your feet all day Alyssa, let me handle this." He told her.

She thought it was a bit strange, but didn't question her friend being helpful. After he was done he sat down on the couch beside Alyssa. Finally Alyssa asked him a question that had been on her mind for months.

"Milton, why didn't you want to be my doctor during the pregnancy?"

Milton was struggling for an answer, but decided now might be the best time to answer truthfully. "Just a moment" he said as he got up and nonchalantly locked the front door. That action had Alyssa now a little concerned.

"Alyssa, I've known you for years and I've wanted to tell you this, but I didn't know how." He said.

Now Alyssa was becoming alarmed at Milton's suddenly strange behavior. " I didn't want to take you on as a obstetric patient because it killed me to see you pregnant with _**His**_ child."

"What? You mean Daryl? Milton, he's my husband. Who's child did you expect to see me with?" She asked innocently.

Milton didn't say a word, but his eyes conveyed his answer to him. Oh my God, Daryl had been right. Milton had feelings for her.

"Milton, I care about you deeply as a friend and as a colleague, but I love Daryl." She said trying to explain herself to him.

"No, you are trapped by him. He told you lies and fooled you into marrying him. You two have nothing in common, where as we have everything in common. Alyssa I have been in love with you for a very long time, and I think you just got tired of waiting for me to admit it. Daryl was just a way to distract you away from your feelings for me." He told her.

Alyssa suddenly felt a sense of panic. She was alone and locked in her house with a man who suddenly admitted he had been in love with her for years. She had made the stupid mistake of telling him that Daryl was out of the state and no one lived close enough that they would notice if anything happened to her. Damn, what had she done.

"You are incorrect Milton, I love Daryl and I think I've loved him since I first met him. I like the fact he is different than me. I like my life here on the farm and I wouldn't change a thing." She told him.

Milton saw the look in her eyes and he didn't like it "Alyssa, you are looking at me like you are afraid of me, but I love you. I would never hurt you." He replied desperately.

"Milton I think it is best you leave." She told him.

"No…not until I do this." He said as he grabbed her quickly and pulled her into a painful embrace and then kissed her. She struggled to get out of his arms, but for someone as small as Milton he seemed to be stronger than she would have believed.

"Let me GO!" She shouted as she shoved him hard enough for him to lose his balance and giving her a chance to pull away from him.

"Alyssa NO! Don't you see what I could give you and our child? We could live a life of privilege and get off this God Forsaken farm. We could travel and see the world together. And could you imagine what we could do together for the field of medicine? Our research would be groundbreaking." He shouted in a voice that Alyssa had never heard from Milton before.

"Please leave." Alyssa begged. Milton once again made a grab for her to pull her to him, afraid to let her go, but Alyssa was able to break away and ran to the door. Without thinking Milton grabbed her harder than he intended and the awkward movement flung her backwards and caused her to lose her balance. Alyssa crashed into the kitchen table and hit the floor, pulling one of the chairs on top of her. She let out a yelp as a wound opened up on her forehead. The sight of the blood pouring down her face seemed to snap Milton back into reality. Not knowing what to do he panicked and ran for the door, unlocking it.

Alyssa was breathing heavy and she was scared to death. Had she hurt the baby, how bad did she hit her head…was he coming back. Oh God, she needed Daryl.

Milton turned around one final time "If it takes me getting Daryl out of your life so we can raise our child together, I will do it Alyssa. Don't be scared anymore. You'll realize I'm the one who has always been there for you…and will always be there for you. Daryl is just an obstacle that can be eliminated."

"GET OUT!" She shouted as he left hastily and got in his car and left.

Alyssa didn't know what to do. Finally, she got herself up off the floor and made her way to the telephone. She placed a call to Beth and Merle. Merle answered the phone.

"Hello?"

"Merle, help…I've been attacked…" was all she managed to get out before she fainted and hit the floor.

Merle dropped the phone and told Beth to lock the doors until he got back.

"Merle what's wrong?" She asked in a concerned tone.

"Alyssa's been attacked and I gotta go get her. Don't open the door for no one but me or Jess. Call Jess and let him know something has happened to Alyssa."

Merle wasn't sure who attacked Alyssa or why, but he was going to find out and he was going to make sure she and the baby were safe until Daryl got back. And once Daryl got back, there was going to be hell to pay.

…

 **OK- this is a novel- and I apologize if the racial slurs offend you- they offend me as well, but I know that what I'm writing is a toned down version of how it really was in the south in the 1930s.**

 **So this is a long chapter…I feel like I'm back on track. I was trying very hard to convey that Jesus was gay…and basically coming out to Daryl-but in the 1930s it wasn't a subject that was really discussed.**

 **Anyhow- Thank you so much for reading and I want to once again give a shout out to all that left me reviews- they mean the world and your feedback is what makes writing these stories worth it.**

 **Thank you to:**

 **Sharin Cole**

 **.2017**

 **DarylDixon'sLover**

 **ArcheryLefty**

 **Have a great week and Happy Thanksgiving to those in the States! I hope to have another update by next Sunday/Monday!**

 **Missy**

 **XXOO**

 **.**


	26. Chapter 26

Merle had made it the quarter mile to Daryl and Alyssa's house in less than a minute. The front door was still open and Merle was terrified as to what he would find inside. Alyssa had only been able to get out the fact that she had been attacked before she dropped off the call and Merle was imagining the worse possible scenario. Either she was dead, something had happened to the baby, or she was severely injured. Either way he was pretty sure Daryl was going to kill him for not watching out for Alyssa better than he had. Fortunately for Merle he wasn't going to have to enter the house alone, because Jess showed up right behind him.

"What happened?" Jess asked in a panicked voice.

Merle shook his head "Don't know yet" he said and then entered the house, Jess following close behind. They immediately spotted Alyssa lying unconscious on the floor by the couch still clutching the telephone. A large gash was bleeding from her forehead, and there were some bruises on her arm that looked like someone had grabbed her, but other than that they didn't see any other injuries.

Both men rushed to her side immediately and Merle reached out with his one good hand and placed it on Alyssa's neck checking for a pulse. The contact to her skin brought Alyssa out of her unconsciousness and she tried desperately to move away from Merle's touch with a wide look of fear in her eyes.

Jess dropped down on his knees and gently placed both of his hands on Alyssa's shoulders while Merle calmly began to speak "Alyssa, Its Merle and Uncle Jess, you need to relax doc, we don't know how badly you are injured."

"Daryl?" She whimpered.

Merle froze and looked at Jess "Alyssa do you know where you are?" Had she hit her head so hard she was suffering from memory loss?

"Merle…I need Daryl." She said in a broken voice that made Merle's heart sink.

Jess then spoke softly "Alyssa, do you know what happened honey?"

"Daryl…please can you get Daryl." She said again softly as tears streamed down her cheek.

Merle then spoke again "Daryl will be here as soon as he can Alyssa. For now, we gotta make sure you and the baby are OK. Jess and I are going to get you to the hospital in Canton."

"No… Not Canton. Please not Canton." She sobbed.

Jess now looked at Merle with even more concern "Why not Canton Alyssa…who did this to you?"

"Please…just let Beth check me out…and call Rosita. Just don't take me to Canton." She begged.

"Why don't you want to go there, Doc? They took good care of you last time." Merle asked, trying to reason with his sister in law. This wasn't normal behavior for her.

"I promise to explain, but I have to talk to Daryl first." She said so softly neither man could barely hear her.

"OK, We'll take you to Beth, but you have to tell us who did this." Merle insisted. "We don't want them to come back."

"He won't…not for now. I don't think he meant to do this." She said in a little more of a coherent voice.

"Alright Doc. We'll see what we can do about finding Daryl, but for now we'll take you to Beth." Merle said, not happy that she had not revealed who had hurt her.

Merle went to lift her up, but with only one arm it was gonna be difficult. Jess noticed Merle's predicament and swooped in and lifted her up while Merle opened the front door and then lead them to Jess's truck. Once they had Alyssa securely in the vehicle, Jess started up the truck and headed to Beth and Merle's with Merle following close behind.

…

It had probably been less than twenty minutes since Alyssa had made the phone call to Merle, yet it seemed like time was dragging by. It was barely seven o'clock and the sun had yet to set, but to Alyssa it seemed much later. People were asking her questions and moving around her, yet she couldn't seem to put together a coherent sentence or grasp what was going on. She never remembered being dizzy like she was at the moment.

Beth put her nursing skills to good use and directed Jess and Merle to put Alyssa in the guest bedroom while she placed a quick call to Rosita. It had been less than a week ago that Alyssa was directing everyone to take care of Beth, and now it looked like the tables were reversed. Beth asked Merle to run back to Daryl's house and get Alyssa' medical bag. Beth needed to check Alyssa's vitals and as soon as Rosita got there they could check to see if the baby was ok.

Beth was speaking calmly to Alyssa, trying to get her to respond, but all Alyssa was capable of doing was begging for Daryl. Just the thought of Daryl finding out that Alyssa was injured sent a wave of panic through Beth. She had been there with Daryl the night Alyssa's house had caught fire, and Daryl threw his own personal safety out the window to get to Alyssa. She just hoped that with this latest episode he wouldn't blame Merle for not keeping a better watch on Alyssa. Beth shook those fears away as soon as she heard Alyssa finally speak her name.

"Beth…is the baby?" She asked in a scared voice.

"I don't know Alyssa. Did you fall and land on your belly?" Beth asked her.

"No, I don't think so, but I can't remember. I remember crashing into the table, and then I remember the chair falling on top of me. I managed to get up and make it to the phone, but then I blacked out." Alyssa said fighting tears. She couldn't lose this baby, not like this. She needed Daryl to be there to comfort her, to hold her, and give her strength.

"Merle said we couldn't take you to Canton, but Alyssa if Rosita and I can't figure out what is going on we might need to." Beth told Alyssa, and Alyssa's breathing started to increase. For some reason Beth didn't know, Alyssa was terrified at the mention of Canton.

"Anywhere else but Canton. When Daryl gets here I will explain why…but I only want to tell what happened once, and someone is going to have to keep Daryl in check once he finds out what happened." Alyssa managed to get out before she started sobbing hysterically.

Beth began to comfort her sister in law and just a few minutes later Merle showed back up followed by a frantic Rosita. Beth had to beg Merle to leave the room so they could examine Alyssa. By the look on Merle's face Beth was sure he felt somewhat responsible for what had happened.

Merle left the room and began to pace nervously in his living room. Jess stood up as Hannah and Clarissa arrived. Andy had gone down for a nap an hour earlier, but with all the commotion now in the house, Merle heard his son crying in his bassinet. He tried to clear his head so he could grab a bottle and feed his son, but fortunately for him Hannah knew the cries of a hungry baby and could see Merle was struggling with his focus.

"Merle, don't worry. I'll take care of Andy. You stay here with Jess for now and you two see if there is anyway you can find Daryl to let him know what has happened." Hannah told her nephew. Merle nodded in agreement.

Jess then motioned to Merle to follow him. "Let's go check the security of the farm and let Zach and Randall know what has happened. Maybe one of them saw something that could help us figure out who we are looking for."

Both men left the house, but not before Merle loaded his shotgun and laid it on the kitchen table and instructing Hannah or Clarissa to use it if someone they didn't know tried to get into the house. Once Merle was sure everyone was secure he and his Uncle took a ride around the hundred acre property. After they had touched base with Zach and Randall to let them know what had happened, they checked all the fences and the wood line, but found nothing. That was when Merle remembered that Daryl was staying the night in Charlotte.

"I think I know where Daryl is tonight. We've stopped a few times in Charlotte before and he has always stayed in the same motel off of US Seventy four. If my memory serves me right it was called the Queen City Motel. Let's head back to the house and place a call. I could leave a message at the front desk and have them inform Daryl he needs to get his ass home." Merle said in a determined tone of voice.

The men rode back to Merle's and he then placed a long distance call to the motel in Charlotte. The desk clerk took the detailed message Merle left and then told Merle that Daryl and his traveling companion had checked in, but had left for dinner about fifteen minutes earlier. They assured Merle that they would immediately relay the information to Mr. Dixon as soon as he returned. Merle hung up the phone and ran his hand through his hair.

"Even with Daryl getting the message tonight it will still take him a good four and half hours to get home. Are we gonna be able to keep Alyssa calm for that long?" Merle asked to no one in particular.

Beth had just emerged from the bedroom and heard Merle's question. "She's scared and upset, but I think she is going to be OK. Rosita was able to pick up the baby's heartbeat with a stethoscope and there was no bleeding or cramping, so I think we were lucky. However, I'm concerned about her concussion. She is trying to sleep and we need her to stay awake. Right now we are letting her sleep thirty minutes at a time and then checking on her to make sure she remembers things like her name and the date. Rosita is with her now. Have you heard anything from Daryl?" Beth asked.

"Not yet, but we located the motel where he is staying and the desk clerk is going to notify him as soon ad Daryl returns from dinner." Merle told her.

"Good, we really need him here for Alyssa's sake. Merle, I don't know what happened, but I know there has to be a reason she doesn't want us to take her to Canton. I would think with Dr. Mahmet being there that would be the place she would feel the safest." Beth said in a questioning voice.

Merle looked at Beth and remembered something Daryl had said about Dr. Mahmet. Daryl swore up and down that the guy had feelings for Alyssa. Merle had thought Daryl was just acting jealous at the time, but now he wondered. However, even if the man was in love with Alyssa, he didn't strike Merle as the kind of guy who had a death wish. Certainly the doctor had to know if he so much as spoke Alyssa's name in the wrong tone, that Daryl would kill him. It had to be something else…or was it?

…

Daryl had to admit it was nice to have Jesus along with him on this trip. They had found a working Barn fan at half the costs of a new one, and Jesus had finagled some great prices on the Rhode Island Red chickens he had encouraged Daryl to purchase. The trailer was filled with a hundred birds, the irrigation equipment they picked up at the farm supply in Charlotte a few hours ago, and the large fan that they could install on Monday when they returned. Though Daryl had been watching his finances closely, he decided to splurge and take Jesus to a nice dinner. The man had managed to saved them over two hundred dollars, and that was two hundred dollars they could use elsewhere on the farm. They could possibly even use the saved funds towards purchasing an additional heifer for the dairy and Daryl knew that would make Merle happy.

Daryl and Jesus were definitely not dressed as nicely as most of the patrons of the restaurant chosen by Daryl. They received a few raised eyebrows as they were seated at their table, but Daryl didn't really care. He and Merle had eaten at the Top Hat Pub a few times over the years, and as far as Daryl was concerned, his money was just as green as the Hoity Toity snobs that appeared to frequent the dining establishment. He did notice that He and Jesus were seated towards the back of the dining room, and Daryl thought briefly about making a fuss. It had ticked him off especially since half the tables were empty, but it had been a long day and he just wanted to eat his dinner and get back to the room.

"If we get back to the room by eight and get about six hours sleep are you good with leaving out around two or three in the morning? I miss my wife and if we get back early enough I can put in a full day on the farm. I ain't expecting you to do the same, we normally give everyone Sunday off." Daryl told Jesus.

"It's fine with me, I don't normally sleep that much anyhow. If you want I can help you drive back." Jesus told Daryl.

"Either way I'm OK- I don't want to leave the chickens in the trailer more than twenty four hours. I'll feed and water them when we get back to the motel." Daryl told him. Fortunately for them the motel was just across the street and Daryl hadn't parked a trailer full of chickens in the parking lot of the 'fine eating' establishment.

"Daryl, have you always wanted to be a farmer?" Jesus asked.

Daryl thought about what Jesus had asked. "I reckon so. I went away to war so young, and had seen many different parts of the world by the time I was twenty. There wasn't really anything out there that made me think I wanted to do anything else. Farming is in my blood, and after the Great War I came back to Holly Springs and never really gave it a thought." Daryl told the younger man, leaving out the details of everything Daryl had endured since the war.

"You seem happy…and settled. I hope to have that one day." Jesus told Daryl.

"Hell, I never thought I'd say it, but I am happy. Alyssa changed my world and I don't know what I'd ever do without her. Now we're gonna have a baby and I'm so damn excited I don't know what to do with myself." Daryl told Jesus, shocked at how easy it was for him to talk to the younger man. Though Jesus had told Daryl about his taboo lifestyle, Daryl didn't find Jesus really any different than anyone else he had come across in his thirty eight years. Well, other than the fact he actually liked Jesus more than he liked most people outside of his family. He also liked that fact that he didn't have to worry about Jesus leering at his wife like Daryl had seen more than one man do.

"Alyssa is a kind woman. She always went out of her way to take care of the less fortunate in Holly Springs, and she didn't deserve what happened to her the night of the fires. I was lucky enough to get out of the school before it burned to the ground, but others were less fortunate. Believe it or not it was that night that I knew I had made the right decision to stay in Holly Springs." Jesus confessed to Daryl.

"Do you still plan on staying? Do you have any other family?" Daryl found himself asking.

"I've got a brother who is an asshole attorney, but we are not close. He represents everything that is wrong with the law. He has a practice in Atlanta and he makes lots of money defending people like your father, or other white supremacists. To say we are opposites would be an understatement." Jesus mused.

"Yeah, I hate assholes like that. Good thing you ain't like him. I hope you get to go back to teaching, but for now I'm happy you are able to help us out on the farm. You showed up at the right time for us." Daryl said as the waiter brought their dinner and both men ate in a comfortable silence.

…

After dinner both men headed back to the motel. They fed and watered the birds and Daryl made sure all of the cages were secured in the trailer. He then locked up the trailer and they headed towards their motel room. Daryl had booked a room with two twin beds for the men to share for the night. He liked this particular motel because it was close to the highway and not far from the farm supply district in Charlotte. If there was one thing people could say about Daryl, it would be that he was a creature of habit. If he found something that worked, he stuck with it and didn't try to change anything up. It had served him well over the years and he wasn't going to change now.

As Daryl went to open up the door to their room, the desk clerk came rushing out of the front office.

"Mr. Dixon." The man shouted across the parking lot catching Daryl's attention. Daryl immediately felt panic build.

"Yeah?" Daryl responded quickly.

"Your brother called and left a detailed message for you and wanted me to get it to you as soon as you returned from dinner." The man said to Daryl as he raced to Daryl and handed him the message he had transcribed.

Daryl grabbed the piece of paper from the man and quickly read it.

"Get home. Alyssa was attacked and is pleading for you. Not sure who or why. She's with Beth and me- and Jess and I have the farm secure."

Fear almost paralyzed Daryl. He handed the note to Jesus who read it quickly. "I'll grab our things, you start the truck." Jesus told Daryl.

Daryl handed the desk clerk twenty bucks to settle the bill and refused to wait for change, as the room was only five dollars for the night. Jesus went in the room and rushed back out with his and Daryl's overnight bags and jumped in the truck.

"You OK to drive?" Jesus asked Daryl.

"I would be worse if I wasn't driving. We're gonna book it back to Holly Springs, but I won't take any unnecessary chances. Gotta get home in one piece." Daryl assured Jesus as his mind went in a million directions. She and the baby had to be fine. Merle didn't mention anything one way or the other in the message. That could only mean one of two things-either Merle didn't know if they were OK, or something worse had happened and he didn't want to give him the information over the phone. Daryl took a second and offered up a quick prayer –He prayed that God would protect his wife and baby and that he and Jesus would get home safely and quickly.

…

Daryl and Jesus pulled up in front of Merle's house just after midnight. Daryl barely noticed that Zach had been sitting out on Daryl's porch with a shotgun in his hand. He assumed Merle meant business when he said they had the farm secure. He looked to Jesus as he got out of the truck "You can come in with me or you can go back to the bunk house. I don't want you to feel obliged to help out with this matter."

"My other plans fell through. I'll see what I can do to help out and I wanna know how Alyssa is doing as well." He told Daryl in a sincere voice

"Appreciate it." Daryl said. He hadn't made it halfway to the front porch of the house before Merle was out there to meet him.

"Thank God you're back. She's a mess. We haven't been able to get her to calm down." Merle told Daryl as he rushed into the house. He didn't even have to ask which room Alyssa was in before Rosita pointed to the guest room on the left. "Beth's in there with her."

Beth was singing softly in a soothing tone as she gently rubbed circles on Alyssa's back. She heard the door open and looked relieved to see Daryl enter. "Alyssa, Daryl's here."

Alyssa's eyes opened up and she once again began to sob as she sat up and reached out for her husband.. Beth moved out of the way as Daryl barreled towards his wife. He noticed a large bandage on her forehead and bruises on her arm and he almost exploded in anger. The only thing that kept him from lashing out was the sight of how small and broken Alyssa looked in the moment. "Baby I'm here." He said as he carefully pulled her into his embrace and she then completely fell apart in his arms.

"Don't ever leave me again Daryl. I was so scared and this whole thing is my fault. I should have listened to you." She said in an apologetic voice.

"Darling what happened. Are you and the baby OK?" Daryl asked in a soft voice, relieved that Alyssa at least only appeared to be bruised but Ok otherwise.

"Rosita heard the heartbeat, but I haven't felt the baby move since before the attack." She told him, once again falling apart. Daryl looked at Beth for an explanation.

"The baby is probably under some stress since Alyssa is under stress. Rosita has checked several times and each time she heard a strong and healthy heartbeat." Beth told her.

"See Alyssa, the baby is fine. You need to calm down for me and tell me who did this too you." He told her as calmly as he could.

Alyssa nodded. "Beth get everyone else in here."

It just took a moment for everyone to gather in the room and Alyssa then recounted the story to everyone. She told them how at first she had been happy to see Milton and how his behavior seemed normal. Then she explained how she had told Milton about Daryl being out of town without a second thought. She then told them about Milton confessing that he loved her and that he became aggressive…even threatening Daryl. She finally explained how she tried to leave after he had locked the door, and that was when he had flung her into the dining room table and she had hit her head. After that her memories weren't that clear and all she remembered was calling Merle.

"I'm gonna kill the son of a bitch tonight." Daryl shouted in anger. "You coming with me?" He asked Merle.

Jess then raised his hands to regain order in the room. "Daryl, you are not thinking rational. For one, he knows you are going to be gunning for him, and two, if you actually do kill the man you are gonna be locked up for the rest of your life. I say we call Rick and file a police report." Jess said, trying to be the voice of reason.

"We can't." Alyssa squeaked out.

"Why the hell can't we?" Daryl barked, not meaning to take the angry tone with his wife.

"Because there were not witnesses, and it will be his word against mine. He's a well respected physician who treated me a few months ago. Milton is a smart man and people will believe him and not me. I've seen it happen time and time again when I worked at the hospital. Doctors made unwarranted advances against the nurses. Most nurses endured the unwanted attention, but the few who complained were dismissed. I have no case." Alyssa said in a defeated tone.

"He ain't gonna have no case when I stomp his ass into next week." Daryl said, losing his temper again. This time he grabbed his keys and headed towards the front door, only to be stopped by Merle and Jesus.

"Brother, I need you to remain calm and let's finish hearing what Alyssa has to say." Merle told Daryl. He knew what Daryl was feeling, and he also had to fight off the urge to go find the weasily little doctor and beat the shit out of him.

"Daryl, please stop." Alyssa said, finding her voice again.

"How can you tell me stop? That man confessed he loved you and then he hurt you? You're my woman Alyssa, not his and he needs to pay for what he has done." Daryl said to her in a voice that was almost pleading for permission to go after Milton.

"Look, he's smart and he said he could eliminate you Daryl. I don't think he meant he would kill you, but he could get you sent away." She told him in almost a whisper. Daryl suddenly wanted to hear what she had to say, but he didn't want everyone else to hear.

"Can everyone but Merle and Jess leave?" Daryl asked as calmly as he could. Everyone exited the room and Daryl heard Beth offer Jesus some coffee as he left with the rest of the group.

Once everyone was gone, he sat down beside Alyssa again and took her hand into his. "What do you mean he could have me sent away?"

Alyssa bit her lower lip, a bit timid about what she was going to say, and Daryl knew at that moment she was very serious. "He could have you declared criminally insane. All he would have to do is get his hands on your war records, and get a few people around town to testify against you, and the state could declare you a threat to both me and to society. If you go after him then I am almost certain that will be what he does. Milton is very intelligent, and calculating. I don't believe he meant to hurt me, but he panicked when he realized he was going to be found out. I genuinely think he thought I would confess to him that I was in love with him."

"And what makes you think he won't do that anyhow?" Jess asked.

"Because he doesn't want the attention. For right now I think it is best that we let this blow over. I promise that if I see him here on the farm again I will avoid him and find one of you." Alyssa said, her mind seeming to clear the more she talked.

None of the three Dixon men were happy with the decision, but it made the most sense. "I'm still gonna talk to Rick and let him know what happened off the record. He should at least be aware that the creep hurt you. That way if something happens in the future, there is someone outside of us who has knowledge of what occurred." Daryl said.

"Only if it is off the record. I can explain to Rick everything if you want. I think he will understand. I know Rick well enough to know he will let things slide if it is for the greater good." She said.

"Ok, we'll talk to him tomorrow after Sunday dinner." Daryl assured her. She nodded at him.

"You wanna stay here tonight or go back to the house?" Daryl then asked her.

"Home. As long as you are with me I feel safe." She confessed.

Daryl scooped Alyssa up in his arms and carried her bridal style towards the truck. He helped her get situated and then told her he just wanted to go thank everyone for their help. Alyssa nodded in agreement, but not before she locked all the doors in the vehicle. She might have been relieved Daryl was back, but she still was terrified Milton might return.

Daryl ran back up Merle's porch and thanked everyone just as he said, and he especially thanked Jesus for helping him keep it together on the ride home. Just as everyone was leaving and Merle was about to close the door, Daryl pulled his brother to the side. "This ain't over."

"I know." Merle responded as he clapped Daryl on the back, relieved at least that Alyssa was Ok and Daryl was home with her.

…

Daryl told Zach to head back to the bunk house and then he carried Alyssa into the house and placed her gently in their bed. "Can I get you anything?" He asked her.

"Can I have some water, and also an aspirin? My head is still hurting." She admitted to him. Daryl disappeared for a moment and then returned. He handed Alyssa the water and the aspirin and then made his way over to the dresser and pulled out a white cotton nightgown for her.

"Here, let me help you get this on. I know you don't want to stay in that blood stained dress." He told her. She nodded.

"This is one of my favorite dresses, I reckon I'm gonna need to let it soak to get the blood stain out of it." She said as she frowned.

"Nah, I'll get you another one." He told her as he helped her get her night gown on and then took the red dress and bunched it up in anticipation of throwing it in the trash.

"Daryl, money is tight, I can wash the dress." She insisted.

"Don't need no reminders of tonight. How are you feeling about all this? It's just you and me and I want you to be honest." He said to his wife.

"Scared and confused. I never dreamed that Milton would act so aggressively towards me, and I also never had any idea that he had romantic feelings towards me as well." She admitted to Daryl.

"I told ya didn't I?" Daryl reminded her.

"You did, but I thought you were just being over protective. I guess I just didn't want to see it because there was no way I could even think about being involved with Milton. To be honest I thought the man was incapable of having romantic feelings towards anyone. He loved medicine and his research so much I thought that was all he had time for." Alyssa told her husband.

"You are just too trusting Alyssa. You see the good in everyone, but sometimes you overlook the bad." He said to her, knowing it was a weakness for her.

"I have to tell you something else that I didn't say in front of everyone. Milton kept calling the baby "our" baby. Something or someone put it in Milton's head that this child is his, even if not biologically. I think that is what scared me the most. What if he comes again and tries to take the baby?" Alyssa said in a somewhat panicked voice.

"He won't Alyssa. If he steps foot on this property again I will put a bolt in him. There won't be any questions about it. Trespassers will be shot on sight." Daryl said emphatically.

"Normally I would disagree with you, but in this case I can't. Our baby's safety is the most important thing to me and if someone is a threat, well then we have to take care of the threat. You are right Daryl, I'm too trusting of people and after tonight, that stops now." Alyssa said with a new resolve in her voice.

"That's my girl." Daryl said proudly as he kicked off his boots and slipped off his clothes and got in bed beside his wife. He gently pulled her to him and within just moments she was asleep in his arms. Just as she dozed off he felt their baby kick against the palm of his hand and that was when he truly knew that they were both going to be alright.

…

Daryl lay wide awake listening to Alyssa's quiet breathing for two hours. His mind was going ninety to nothing as he replayed the events of the day over and over in his head. Carefully he removed himself from Alyssa and slipped out of the bed. He carried his pants and boots out to the living room and got himself dressed quietly.

Fifteen minutes later Daryl found himself down at the dairy barn, lighting a cigarette and hoisting himself up on a hay bale. It was quiet and it was dark, the only light visible was that coming from the moon as it filtered through the slats of the wall. Too much had gone on over the past nine months and Daryl felt like he had done nothing to stop any of it.

"Got another one of those?" Merle said as his voice startled Daryl.

Daryl wordlessly handed a cigarette to Merle and Merle sat down on the hay bale beside his brother. "Daryl, I'm sorry about what happened to Alyssa. I feel like I should have done more to keep an eye on her."

"She ain't a puppy Merle. She is fully capable of taking care of herself. What happened to Alyssa was because she had a lapse in judgement. It wasn't your fault. I think she has learned a lesson though and she ain't taking no chances in the future." Daryl informed his brother.

"I think both Alyssa and Beth could use a few hours of gun training just in case someone comes at us again." Merle told Daryl. Daryl nodded in agreement with his brother.

"Merle, ain't you getting sick and tired of turning the other cheek? I'm fucking tired of all this shit happening to us. We try to do the right thing and all that happens is we get shit on in return. We tried to help Noah, and not only does he get murdered, you lose your arm. Alyssa helps out the coloreds out of the goodness of her heart, and her house is burned down and she nearly dies. And don't even get me started on daddy. The mere fact he is able to show his face around town and actually is _**respected**_ …none of it is fair and I'm tired of it. Things are gonna change starting right now." Daryl said emphatically.

"I get what you're saying brother, but I don't know what to do anymore. We've both got families now and if we try to instill Dixon justice, we're most likely gonna end up doing time." Merle said to Daryl, trying to convince Daryl to consider to changing his mind.

"We've got to be smart about what we do Merle, but I can't let what happened to Alyssa go. Milton is a sleazy little prick, and he needs to pay for what he has done. All of 'em gotta pay for what they did to us" Daryl said this time in a determined voice.

"So what do you have in mind?" Merle asked. The least he could do was hear his brother out.

"Those three assholes that jumped us, they will be taken care of this week by the law, but Daddy, he needs to be brought to justice. He walks around town with his wife and everyone talks to him like he is a saint. He's the same fucker that beat us nearly to death when we were kids, forced you to raise a child when you were just a kid yourself, and neglected his wife so bad she died before she was thirty. They all seem to forget about the times he was so drunk he passed out anywhere he could lay his head, including ditches and sidewalks, covered in his own piss. Today things change Merle. You're either with me or your not." Daryl challenged.

Merle pondered what Daryl said. "You know baby brother, it was always just you and me together, and I reckon you got a good point. I'm with ya!" Merle declared.

"Good to hear. This time though, we've got a little extra help. I think between Rick, Shane, and Jesus, we might have just what we need to finally bring Daddy down. Once we get him and Blake out of the way, I think things will get better for us, as well as for the colored in Holly Springs. If you want to kill a snake, you chop off its head, and I think that is what we need to do." Daryl told Merle as he lit up a second cigarette.

"I agree with ya, but I don't want Beth and Alyssa or anyone else on this farm involved. The last thing we need is to put them in danger. That includes Uncle Jess. He ain't getting no younger." Merle told his brother.

"Alright…agreed. The first thing I think we need to do is follow Will and figure out what he does each day and where he goes. I think if I talk to Jesus he might be willing to scout out our old man. Daddy doesn't know him, and even if he does, he wouldn't suspect him." Daryl explained to Merle.

"That sounds like a good start, but what about the little weasel?" Merle asked Daryl.

"What we decide to do to him I will handle personally. He's had his hands on my wife more than once, and now knowing what I know about him I see that as him violating my property."

"What about what Alyssa said? Daryl he could have you institutionalized if he gets your war record. We both know you weren't in the best place mentally after Cantigny. And even after we came home you damn near were a recluse for twenty years. There were a lot of rumors about you and if he were to interview people around here, well that won't bode well for ya." Merle reminded him.

"I'll let Alyssa figure that one out. She knows people just like Mahmet does. If it came to the point they were gonna put me away, I'd take Alyssa and the baby and leave. I know how to disappear if I need too." Daryl informed his brother.

"It won't come to that Daryl. Just wanted to put it out there as something that could happen. You are right though, we've been shit on too many times and it's time to take a stand." Merle agreed.

"Thank you Deacon Dixon." Daryl teased his brother.

"Look, I've been a good boy for a while, I think the Good Lord can overlook a few indiscretions if it means we are taking care of family, our home, and our land." Merle said in a dead serious tone.

"So are you ready for this fight?" Daryl asked once again.

"Yep! This set of Dixon's is going to get back the respect we deserve."

"You are damn straight!" Daryl agreed emphatically.

…

 **This went a little longer than I anticipated, so I had to split the chapter into two. Thank you so much for reading, and as always feel free to offer constructive criticism.**

 **Looks like our Dixon boys are gonna make a stand!**

 **I really hope to hear from you and I want to offer a special thanks to the following who took the time and left a review:**

 **.2017**

 **Smilejul**

 **DarylDixon'sLover**

 **Take Care and we'll chat again next week.**

 **Missy**

 **XXOO**


	27. Chapter 27

After Daryl's intense conversation with Merle, Daryl felt physically spent. He made it back in the house at five in the morning and stripped his clothes off and again laid down beside his wife. He embraced her and pulled her to him and felt the calming effects of his child once again kicking his hand. One thing was for sure and that was that they had one hell of an active baby swirling around in his wife's womb. The fact that his wife and child had survived the scare finally lulled Daryl into the sleep he needed. It was Sunday, and that meant a slow day on the farm so he could afford to sleep in a few hours past sunrise.

Four hours later Daryl awoke to an empty spot in the bed beside him. He was still exhausted, but the few hours of sleep he managed to get would be enough to get him through the day. Daryl stretched and felt his muscles tense and his joints pop, and then padded out of the room in nothing but his boxers. It was rare that he walked around without some sort of shirt covering his upper torso, but the heat was so bad that he didn't bother to cover up.

Alyssa was sitting on the couch with her legs tucked beneath her, reading "Gone with the Wind" and listening to some soft music on the radio. She looked up when Daryl emerged from the bedroom and gave him a warm smile.

"How ya feeling this morning?" He asked her in a concerned voice.

"A little sore and a slight headache, but other than that I'm good. The baby has been moving around a lot this morning, and that feels great." She said in a relieved tone.

"Yeah, it was moving quite a bit all night long." He assured her.

"Daryl, are you OK? I noticed you weren't in bed for a while last night. Is there anything I can do?" She asked him in a worried voice. She knew he was struggling with the fact she was attacked and he wasn't there to protect her.

"I went out to the barn to clear my head and think a little bit. Apparently Merle was doing the same and we talked for a while." Daryl told her as he walked over to the couch and sat beside her. He took her delicate hand into his and gave it a soft kiss.

"Merle and I have decided we are sick and tired of people walking all over us. That stops now. This whole damn town is in a mess because of one person, and come hell or high water, we're gonna take him down. If he is gone, the entire house of cards will tumble. Those three assholes know what my Pa did, and for whatever reason, they are willing to take a fall for him. Folk's are all scared of the old man, and I get it, I was terrified of the man for years too, but there has to be someone out there that knows what he is up to and would be willing to talk to Rick or Abe. The problem is, we gotta find 'em." Daryl told Alyssa, strong determination was laced in his voice.

"It's gonna be hard though Daryl. Right now no one in town trusts any of us Dixons. The folks in the East think we had something indirectly to do with Noah's death. They know Will wants us gone. And the folks in town see us as Sympathizers, and that goes against everything they've been taught. They are naïve Daryl…even ignorant, but they aren't necessarily bad, some of them are just scared and don't want trouble. I will be honest and say I worry about Dale. He isn't afraid to express his beliefs. However, he's most likely going to lose the election because the Negroes can't vote for him. The laws don't work in their favor, and you and I both know the voting laws are a farce. Just another reason for the white folks to tamp down what they are most afraid of, and that is Negroes with power." Alyssa told Daryl, trying to let him know that he had a tough fight on his hands.

"You are right, it ain't fair, but that doesn't mean we can't do everything in our power to try to make it right. Once we get this court case over with, I'm going to search high and low to find someone who knows something about what my father is doing. Jesus told me there are rumors that someone saw my Pa lynch that Terry guy. If we could get them to come forward and make an anonymous report, then maybe Rick and Abe could call in the State to investigate. If Will goes to prison, I know for a fact he will sell everyone else out to protect his own ass. We just gotta find the right person." Daryl told her.

"So why don't you think that Mitch, Dave, and Tony didn't work out a deal? Certainly they don't want to go to prison." Alyssa asked.

"They know they will die one way or another. If they testify against my pa, they will still get some sort of sentence, and someone in lock up will take them out, and if they manage to survive prison, they will definitely not survive when they are released. At least now they will get a sentence and if they live long enough to be released, no one will be after them and they can live out the rest of their lives in peace." Daryl told his wife.

"Unfortunately, I think you are right. It's gonna be hard though to find anyone to testify against Will. Only a person afraid of certain death if they 'don't' testify against your dad would be a good witness. The problem is, I don't think that person exists." Alyssa sighed.

"We'll come up with something." Daryl assured her.

After Daryl finally got up off the couch, he and Alyssa took a bath together, just enjoying the feel of each other's naked bodies. Alyssa had told Daryl she wanted to make love, and as much as Daryl wanted too, he knew she was still sore from her attack the night before. He did carry her back to bed, and gave her a nice romantic massage, practically biting his tongue to keep the arousal he felt at bay. If she still wanted him that night after having a full day to process what happened, and have some of her possible soreness abate, then he would take her up on her offer. Daryl was always afraid that somehow he would get carried away and hurt her, and with everything that happened in the past day, he didn't want to risk that.

Once Alyssa was relaxed and they were both dressed, Daryl called Rick and told him to stop by the house before heading to Jess and Hannah's place for Sunday dinner. He and Alyssa together would both make an unofficial report about Milton, and even though Daryl wanted to beat the Doctor to death and press charges, Alyssa had brought up a good point about Milton being able to get Daryl put away for mental health issues. Daryl knew his actions in the past would give Milton all the fuel he needed to have him put away for a good while if he wanted, so they both agreed not to poke the bear until Alyssa could come up with a better idea.

…

After Rick had stopped by, Alyssa and Daryl had decided that they would skip Sunday dinner with the family, and just take time to themselves for the day. Rick had agreed to not pursue charges against Milton for the time being, but did tell Alyssa that he thought she was making a mistake. He did take her statement though, and said that if Milton did try to declare Daryl mentally unstable, then he would testify on Daryl's behalf. It was comforting to know that Daryl had someone like Rick in his corner, but it was no guarantee that Rick's testimony alone could keep Daryl from getting sent away.

After Rick had left, Merle and Beth had stopped by after Church to check in on Alyssa, and to show off Andy's little church suit. Merle had never had such a proud look on his face as he did that morning when he and Beth had arrived at Church. Pastor Jimmy had said a special prayer for the new family, and of course several of the women had come to see the little bundle of Joy. It did seem that whatever problem most of the citizens of Holly Springs had with the Dixons had been put on the back burner the day Deacon Merle Dixon came to church with his baby boy. Nothing could wipe the smile off of Merle's face for the rest of that day.

Alyssa had finally decided to lay down for a nap and Daryl finally got up and made the rounds on the farm. He was surprised to find Jesus down at the chicken house working away.

"Hey man, you didn't have to start that today. You need a day of rest man, even God took one." Daryl told him.

Jesus let out a laugh. "Thought I would get a head start, I didn't have anything better to do. How is Alyssa?" Jesus asked with a genuinely concerned tone in his voice.

"She and the baby seem to be doing well. She's taking a nap right now. Thanks for asking." Daryl replied.

"Good to hear Daryl. Why don't you go back and spend time with her, I can handle things around here for the day. You've been busting your ass for a while now and I'm sure you could use some rest as well." Jesus told his boss.

"Thanks. Tomorrow, can we talk about a few things regarding our conversation the other day about my dad. Merle and I wanna see what we can do to get my Pa put away for good. I just wanna run some things by ya." Daryl told the man.

"Yeah, we can do that. Not sure what good I will be, but I will offer my assistance any way I can." Jesus assured Daryl.

"Thanks." Daryl replied as he decided to take Jesus up on his offer and go back to spend time with Alyssa.

…

Milton Mahmet was a phenomenal physician, but a brave man he was not. After his debacle at Alyssa's he fled from the Dixon farm and drove directly to Phillip Blake's mansion. Blake's servant had answered the door and led Dr. Mahmet to Blake's study, where Milton was pacing nervously. Blake finally entered the study and closed the door behind him, not helping at all to ease Milton's nervousness.

"Dr. Mahmet, what brings you by unannounced?" Blake asked in a curious tone.

"I'm in trouble and if you help me out, I will make a sizeable donation to your election campaign and I will speak publicly on your behalf supporting you. I have a lot of influence on the medical community and my endorsement will go a long way to help you with your political aspirations." Milton blurted out.

Blake gave the doctor a sly smile. "I see, and what do you need my help with Dr. Mahmet…or can I call you Milton?"

"Milton is fine. I took your advice and stopped by to see Dr. Cambridge…I mean Dixon, and well things got a little out of hand. I over reacted and in exchange I inadvertently injured Alyssa. I know my actions are going to cause repercussions, and I'm pretty sure that her barbaric husband will be coming after me for revenge. I need protection until I can come up with a plan to get Dixon locked away somewhere." Milton said in a desperate tone.

"OK. I will have my head of security, Will Dixon, assign someone to protect you. He is actually the man's father, but holds no allegiance to his sons. Does the younger Dixon know it was you and if so, why are you still walking?" Blake asked.

"I left in a hurry. As you said, he was out of town, and Alyssa was by herself. I would like to apologize to her, but I don't think that is possible. She will never feel comfortable around me again as long as Dixon is in the picture. Right now I need to lay low and have someone to watch my back. Can you arrange that?" Milton asked again.

"Consider it done. Maybe you can take some personal time for a few weeks until things blow over, and Will can have someone at your home within the hour. For now, you need to stay out of Holly Springs and then I will expect a written endorsement from you sent to every College, Hospital, and doctor within a thirty mile radius. Now let's discuss the monetary donation I expect to be made." Blake said in a tone that let Milton know that this was not negotiable.

Milton finally sat down in the leather chair in front of Blake's desk and listened intently to what Blake would be requiring from him. As Milton listened to Blake speak, he also tried to form a plan in his head that would both allow him to remain safe, and yet try to make up to Alyssa for what had unfolded earlier. Somehow, Daryl Dixon had to be eliminated from Alyssa's life, and maybe the man who had just been assigned to be his protector might be able to help out.

…

Monday everything was back to normal at the farm. The heat was still stifling, but the weather forecast was calling for afternoon thunderstorms and as desperate as they were for rain, the forecast offered some relief until they were able to get the new wells dug and the irrigation equipment installed. Everyone worked twice as hard early in the day, knowing that the fields would not be a safe place to be if storms rolled in. As a result, everything that needed to be done for the day was completed just after lunch and Jess let everyone have the remaining day off. Daryl decided he would take full advantage of the extra time for him and Alyssa.

Poor Merle looked exhausted, and he was never one to hold back information. So he spent the entire day complaining to everyone how much Andy had been crying over the past day and that he found out he had to wait until Andy was six weeks old until he could have his 'needs' met. Daryl, realizing he would be in the same predicament in a few months, had decided that he would take advantage of what time he had up until his child's birth to enjoy Alyssa to the fullest. Her hormones were all over the place, and she had begged him yesterday to have sex with her, but he wanted to wait until he was sure she was feeling good, and then Damnit, she fell asleep and he didn't want to wake her up. Just thinking about her ready and willing, and alone up at the house had him about to burst out of his britches. So as soon as Jess said they were done for the day, he high tailed it from the field and headed straight home.

Alyssa was standing in the kitchen singing to a song on the radio while rolling out dough when Daryl walked in, and the look in his eyes when they met hers left nothing to question. He looked like a hunter stalking his prey, and Alyssa immediately felt electricity flow to her extremities. Daryl wanted her, and with her pregnancy hormones raging, she wasn't going to turn him down. He went to her and placed his lips hungrily on hers. She was covered in flour, and he was covered in dirt and sweat, but at the moment it didn't matter to him. He thrust his tongue into her mouth and she accepted it with equal fervor. For a moment Alyssa thought Daryl was going to take her right there on the kitchen counter, but he pulled back.

"I ain't gonna take you covered in filth. Give me a few minutes…I want you on the bed naked and waiting for me. I'm gonna make you scream my name woman." Daryl told her and she felt the wetness between her thighs grow. She loved it when Daryl was aggressive, and right now she was wound so tight she could barely contain herself.

Daryl rushed into the bathroom to clean up and she washed her hands in the sink and practically ran to the bedroom. She pulled off her clothes and let them drop to the floor, and then spritzed herself with just a dab of perfume. Alyssa pulled back the bed covers and just as she was about to climb in to wait for Daryl, she felt Daryl's strong arms wrap around her torso. His body was still damp from his bath, and that added to the sensuality of the moment. Daryl stood behind her and moved his hands up her waist and wrapped them around her full breasts, tweaking her nipples in the process. The sensation caused Alyssa to let out a little squeal of delight and that caused Daryl to moan in return. She could feel his erection against her backside and desperately wanted to feel him deep inside of her walls. She never felt a sexual need like she did in this moment. All she wanted was for him to touch her everywhere.

Daryl kissed and suckled on her neck and felt Alyssa's nipples harden even more against his fingertips. He slowly moved his right hand down her body, ghosting his hand over her rib cage, then to her hip, and then in an almost tortuous manner, he let his fingertips slide down between her thighs and touched her most intimate parts. He could feel her wet with desire and he let out a groan. As Alyssa felt his fingertips tease her nub she thought she was going to lose herself right there. She wanted, no she needed him inside of her so badly she could barely function.

Daryl was taking all control of this encounter, and moved them to the bed without breaking contact. Now both of them were on their knees on top of the bed facing each other and staring intently into each other's eyes. Daryl leaned in and once again kissed Alyssa with a scintillating passion. He massaged her tongue with his own and she matched his movements. Everything single sense in her body was heightened by the feel of her husbands hardened body against her own. Daryl once again turned her around so her backside was pressing against his hardened cock and he could feel her buck against him, pleading with her own body for him to thrust himself into her. He moved her cascading hair from her shoulder and once again began to place light kisses on her clavicle, her neck, and then kissed her ear, teasing it slightly with his tongue. Alyssa couldn't take the teasing anymore.

"Please Daryl…" She begged.

He moved some pillows around in front of her and then gently manipulated her body so he could take her from behind. Alyssa let out a moan as she felt the tip of his cock, wet with precum teasing her slit. She herself was so wet and ready she didn't think she would last long once he thrust himself into her. Daryl continued to tease her, his erection still lying against her entrance while he massaged her nipples, knowing how much she liked it. Finally, Daryl couldn't take it anymore and he pushed himself deep inside of Alyssa, causing her to let out a gasp of delight.

"Oh God" She exclaimed as he filled her up. They began to thrust together and the slow movements of their lovemaking became more and more frantic. As Daryl felt the heat begin to pool inside of him he slid one of his hands around to Alyssa's hardened nub and began to rub it gently. Alyssa was soon bucking wildly and Daryl knew she was losing control. He felt her walls tighten around his cock as her juices coated his manhood. She was now calling out his name and the sounds of 'Daryl' on her lips and the feel of her coming on his cock sent him over the abyss into one of the most intense orgasms he had ever experienced. His entire body shuddered and then went completely rigid as he came inside of her. As soon as his orgasm subsided he could hardly move as the sensitivity in his cock was almost too much to stand. Finally, as they both came down from their orgasm, he wrapped his arms around Alyssa and pulled them both down into the soft mattress. Their bodies were covered in sweat and their breathing was erratic, but the look on their faces was nothing but pure delight.

Once they caught their breath, Alyssa turned to Daryl who was running his fingers slowly up and down her bare arm. "Where did that come from?" She asked.

"Dunno…maybe relief that you and the baby are alright. Alyssa baby I love you so much." He told her. She looked so intensely into her eyes that she swore she could see straight down to his soul. There was not one bit of doubt in her mind that he meant it.

"I know you Daryl and I can promise you that you will have my heart until the day I die." She gave him a gentle kiss on his cheek and suddenly the sound of thunder erupted from outside. They spent the rest of the afternoon in bed, listening to the blessed and much needed rain while enjoying the comfort of being together in each other's arms.

…

Tuesday morning came early for Daryl and Merle. They had to be in Canton to meet with the District Attorney at one in the afternoon, which meant they had to get all of their work on the farm finished by noon, allowing them time to clean up before they headed into the courthouse district for Cherokee County. Jesus had proven to be an early riser as well and he was already hard at work on the poultry house when Daryl showed up. They fed the birds and had collected the eggs and Daryl was pleasantly surprised to see that the egg output from the new hens was about twenty percent better than it had been just a week before. Once all the eggs were collected Hannah would come by and then take them to town to sell at Glenn's store. They always kept some on hand for their own use, as well as some for regular customers that would come by and pick up milk from the dairy. With milk production being down because of the loss of the cows there weren't as many people coming by as before, but Merle still had about ten locals that came by faithfully.

It was going to be another stifling day, and the humidity was high as a result of the rain they had received the previous night, but Daryl wasn't going to complain. The plants had perked up over night and it looked like they wouldn't have to run the pumps today as the fields were still muddy. Daryl estimated they had received about an inch of rain, and that would keep the ground moist for a couple of days. A much needed blessing.

After all of the work was done, Daryl and Merle went back to their respective homes and changed into clean clothes and headed into Canton. They arrived ten minutes early at the DA's office and the receptionist directed both men to take a seat. Daryl squirmed nervously in his chair and Merle placed his arm on his brother's arm to calm him down.

"Ain't no need to be nervous. All we gotta do is tell 'em what happened and then he will direct us on what we need to say in court on Thursday. Just listen to him and do what he says. Can you handle that?" Merle asked Daryl. He hated to sound like the authoritative parent to Daryl, but sometimes Daryl didn't want to listen to what other people told him and this was one of those times they couldn't risk Daryl going rogue.

"I can do that. It's hot as a mother fucker in here." Daryl grunted out.

"I admit it's warm, but your nerves ain't helping. Just calm down, this ain't us testifying in front of a jury." Merle assured his brother.

A few minutes later the young attorney came out and introduced himself to the brothers. "Hello, nice to meet both of you. I'm District Attorney Aaron Lewis and I'll be handling your case."

Merle and Daryl both reached out and shook the young attorney's hand "I'm Merle Dixon and this is my younger brother Daryl. Daryl is a little on the shy side, so don't be alarmed if I do most of the talking."

Daryl looked at Merle like he could kill him and Merle just shrugged and then whispered in Daryl's ear "Just trying to make this easy on you."

Aaron led both men into his office and the Dixon's sat down in the two uncomfortable wooden chairs in front of Aaron's desk. Obviously the Cherokee County District Attorney's office didn't believe in spending any extra funds on comfort.

"So can you go over the details of what happened the day of Monday, February 20, 1939?" Aaron asked.

Both brother's explained in detail all of the events that had occurred that day, with the exception of the few details they couldn't remember as a result of their injuries.

Aaron then asked Daryl a question "So you say that Mitchell Dolgen was the leader of the men that attacked you and he was the one who held you down in the lake?

"He was leading them that day up at the cabin, but I know for a fact it was my father that was leading them in general. I would bet my left nut he was there, but just out of the way so we couldn't see him." Daryl said emphatically.

Aaron tried to stifle a smile, "Daryl, first of all, it would be in your best interest to control you language in front of the judge. Secondly, it is very important that you don't bring your father into this at all. I don't doubt what you are saying one bit, but the problem is that there isn't any evidence to link you father to the events of that day and simply knowing where the cabin was is circumstantial evidence at best."

Daryl let out a loud sigh and responded "Fine, I won't bring him into this."

"Good. Now that I have both of your statements I can put together the line of questioning I am going to use. I want both of you to be aware of a few things though. Even though there is substantial evidence in this case and all three men are being charged with four counts of first degree murder, aggravated assault, and two cases of attempted murder, this isn't a guaranteed conviction. The Jury may take sympathy on the men based on their Southern Loyalties, and getting white defendants convicted of murder of a colored is difficult."

Merle looked at Daryl and could see the anger behind Daryl's eyes. "So what are you saying, we ain't got a case…even with all the evidence?"

"No that's not what I'm saying in the definitive. I'm saying just prepare yourself. The defendant's lawyers are going to be harsh on you and will try everything in their power to sway the jury against both of you. I am not sure what Judge will be presiding, but there are several judges in the county court system that are less than fair when dealing with the district attorney's office. It is imperative when you are being cross examined that you remain calm and do not lash out. Also, whatever you do please don't bring your father into this. It will only hurt our chances of getting a conviction." Aaron told them.

"We will do our best." Merle said to Aaron, giving Daryl a look that told his younger brother he needed to control himself.

"I won't bring him up." Daryl said, but not without mumbling to himself under his breath.

"Good to hear. So we will meet at the courthouse across the street at eight thirty Thursday morning, and the case will begin at nine. I will have notes for you to review at that time. I was able to get testimony from Chief Grimes, deputy Walsh, and State Investigator Abraham Ford. We've also got both of you to testify, as well as blood evidence on the clothing the suspects were wearing, and also the fact that we found the men in your wife's vehicle at the state line. There were a few other details that the Forensic investigator…Um, Eugene Porter was able to provide as well. I think he was able to match boot prints to one of the suspects. It is a strong case based on the evidence, the only fear I have is the jury and the judge might not want to see it that way." Aaron once again told them.

"I got faith in ya Mr. Lewis." Merle once again told the young attorney as he and Daryl stood to leave and head back home.

…

Thursday morning everyone on the Dixon farm was up early. Randall and Noah were the only ones working a full day, and everyone else, including Jesus were planning on going to the courthouse for the trial. Daryl was counting on things to be an open and shut case, despite what Aaron had told them. No good person could take a look at all the evidence presented against Mitch, Dave, and Tony and come to any conclusion other than guilty. Daryl just assumed that Aaron was trying to cover his ass just in case things didn't go the way they should.

Alyssa had insisted that Daryl wear the suit he got married in, though he thought it was a bit much. It wasn't him, but she then told him that Beth was forcing Merle to wear a suit as well so he didn't dare argue with her. The problem was it was hot as hell and he already was nervous. The last thing he wanted to do was pass out in the courthouse. Apparently Alyssa noticed a bit of sweat on his brow before they left the house and she finally conceded that he could just wear slacks and a short sleeve button up shirt. He only had two, a blue one and a white one, and she decided the blue would be best.

Since the whole family was going to Canton that morning they had to take three vehicles. Jesus rode with Daryl and Alyssa, and the family convoyed together for the six mile trip to Canton and then all parked together in the parking lot behind the courthouse. Alyssa had been sitting in between Daryl and Jesus, and Daryl got out and then helped Alyssa get out of the truck. With her belly growing each day, it was getting more and more difficult for her to maneuver around like she used too. Even though he was nervous as hell about testifying in an open court, he still took a moment to admire his beautiful wife. She had her chocolate locks pinned up in a fashionable upsweep, and was wearing a blue plaid dress with a wide white yoked collar. Even seven months pregnant she was a head turner, and the best news of all was she was his. He gave her a warm smile and she returned one back to him.

The family entered the courthouse together and Aaron was already waiting there for them. He instructed them where to go and it was at this time that Alyssa pulled Daryl to the side.

"You got this Daryl. Just remain calm, and if you get nervous look at me. Whatever you do, do not let them get to you. They will try their hardest to get you angry and have you trip over your words." She said as she pulled him into an embrace.

Jess led the women and Jesus into the courtroom to take their seats. That was when Jesus saw the one person he had not expected to see in Canton, nor wanted to see. It was his brother, the asshole attorney…none other than Gregory himself. This was not going to bode well for the Dixon's if his brother was the defense attorney. Not only was he ruthless, Jesus also knew his brother wasn't always above board when it came to handling his cases. Without a word Jesus stood up and went to find Aaron and the Dixon boys.

He found them congregated in the corner and already Aaron did not look happy. Jesus rushed over to the trio of men "You have to get a continuance. I know the Defense attorney…he's my brother, and unless you have an absolutely open and shut case today, you will not win."

"You're brother is Gregory Rovia?" Aaron asked the man that was standing in front of the three men.

"He is, and he will is not above doing anything to prove his clients innocent…even if they are not." Jesus said in an almost frantic voice.

Daryl looked at Merle and then turned to Aaron "Can you do that? Can you get the case continued?"

"I can approach the judge and try, but I don't have anything I could use to prove we need the continuance." Aaron said truthfully.

"You could say you were looking for an additional witness on behalf of the Dixon's." Jesus said.

Aaron sighed and ran his hands over his face "Unless I can come up with a name, I'm afraid it won't work."

Daryl thought for a moment "Father Gabriel…he was hiding Noah and his family before us. You could say that you have a witness that is afraid to come forward and you need time to convince him."

Aaron's facial expression didn't change "It's a Hail Mary at best, but I can try."

"That's all we ask." Merle said, already not liking how this day was going.

…

At nine o'clock the bailiffs escorted Dave, Tony, and Mitch into the courtroom. They were all dressed in suits and cleaned up looking nothing like they normally did on a regular day. Daryl heard Merle mumble something about 'a sheep in wolves clothing' and Daryl couldn't have agreed more.

When the judge entered the room everyone stood and Daryl could see the disappointment immediately in Aaron's eyes. Especially when the judge walked past the bench and over to Gregory and offered him a hearty handshake and a pat on the shoulder. This was not going to end well unless Aaron could get the continuance.

Judge Simon Lawson was in his fifties, extremely articulate, well liked by most, and had no problem at all letting people know just where his Southern Loyalties lay. That meant that the racially biased man rarely saw white on black crime as anything other than something that the 'coloreds deserved for not knowing their place.' This was going to be one hell of an uphill battle.

After the Bailiff called the courtroom to order, Aaron asked to approach the bench. Judge Lawson allowed him to do so and Aaron asked for the continuance.

"On what grounds?" Judge Lawson replied.

"We have an additional witness that is afraid to testify." Aaron replied.

"You've had four months District Attorney Lewis, that is plenty of time to convince someone to come forward. I am denying your request." The judge said emphatically, but not before glancing over at Gregory and giving him a subtle smile.

"But your Honor?" Aaron pleaded.

"Request Denied." The judge said a little more forcefully this time.

Aaron let out a sigh of defeat and headed over to the table where Merle and Daryl were sitting. He didn't have to say anything to the Dixon's, they knew they were fucked.

The first witnesses called were Rick and Abe, who went over the details of what they found at the remains of the old cabin. Then Rick described the condition that Merle and Daryl were in when they had been found and then provided the details of how brutally the bodies were displayed in the town square the morning after the Dixon's had been located. Abraham provided details on how they found both of the vehicles, and what lead them to North Carolina where they found the fugitives. He informed the Jury that the men were hostile and had refused to make a statement.

Then Aaron had called Eugene to the stand and the jury was taken through a very confusing and very scientific explanation as to how the evidence of the rope, blood, and the bodies was linked to Dave, Tony, and Mitch.

In cross examination by Gregory, he asked if any of the blood had been found on the Dixon's as well. Eugene did confirm that blood from Noah's family was found on the Dixon's and that also blood from the defendants was also on the Dixon's clothes.

Gregory smiled "So is it possible that the Dixon's in fact could have committed the crime and then set it up to make the defendant's look guilty?"

Eugene responded "While I am certain anything is a possibility, it is not in the realm of realism that a man would have planned such a 'set-up' in the manner that things went down that day. It is in my opinion as a Forensic investigator that the Dixons did travel up to said Cabin on that day for the sole purpose of getting that family to safety from the groups who had taken offense to their actions. They were taking advantage of the bad weather, which in turn made it easy for them to be tracked by the defendant's who were more than likely following them."

Gregory then shouted "I object you're honor. The witness is making assumptions without conclusive evidence."

The Judge agreed "Sustained."

Aaron had then called Merle to the stand. Merle did a great job of going over all of the details of the attack and what had happened afterwards. He spoke well and with a lot of confidence. Gregory turned down the chance to cross examine Merle, he had other plans that would get him just what he needed to get his clients acquitted.

It was now Daryl's turn for questioning and he nervously stood and went to the stand. He raised his right hand and promised to tell the truth. He spoke so quietly Aaron had to ask him to speak up more than once. Whenever he felt like he just wanted to stand and run, he would look over to Alyssa who would give him a smile or a nod, and he would regain his confidence. After Aaron had Daryl re-tell all the details of the day, it was Gregory's turn to cross examine and it was at that same time that Daryl looked up to see that none other than Will Dixon had entered the courtroom and sat right behind Mitch, Dave, and Tony. Alyssa saw the immediate change in Daryl's body language. She looked around and spotted Will as well. Panic overtook her as she knew that it was going to be next to impossible for Daryl to keep himself calm. Damnit, maybe Aaron shouldn't have called Daryl to testify at all.

Gregory sauntered over to where Daryl was sitting nervously and began his line of questioning.

"Mr. Dixon what would you say your mental state was on the night in question?" Gregory asked right off the bat.

Daryl wasn't really sure how to respond "Dunno? Normal I guess."

"Normal? In your case how would you describe Normal?" Gregory asked.

Daryl just looked at the lawyer, not real sure how to respond, so he remained silent. The judge then looked at him "Mr. Dixon, can you please answer the question?"

Aaron stood up "Your Honor, I object. This line of questioning is not relevant."

Gregory then replied "Your Honor, it is relevant to prove that Mr. Dixon has not always used the best judgement and his mental state at the time may have been compromised."

"Objection overruled. You can continue with the line of questioning." Judge Lawson replied.

"Once again Mr. Dixon, what is your normal mental state?" Gregory asked again. Alyssa was shifting nervously in her seat, and Merle looked like he wanted to beat the hell out of Gregory. He was whispering furiously to Aaron and Aaron wasn't sure exactly how to respond to his client.

"I wouldn't know how to describe it, I ain't no doctor. I get up in the morning, I work my farm, spend time with my wife and go to bed." Daryl said.

"Well I've got documentation here from your war record that says your mental state hasn't always been the best." Gregory said as he went over to the table and pulled out documents.

Aaron once again "Objection your honor. We were not made privy to this documentation."

"Overruled." The Judge said immediately.

Gregory stood in front of the court and proceeded to read out Daryl's diagnosis from his war records. "It says right here Mr. Dixon that you were prone to violent outbursts and then extended periods of silence. You were plagued with nightmares and completely disassociated yourself from human contact other than that of your brother. Are you in fact Mr. Dixon a violent individual?"

Alyssa jumped up, her heart breaking for Daryl's private medical records being made public, and the fact that he as now being accused of being violent "You're Honor you can't allow this."

"You sit down young lady or I will hold you in contempt of court." The judge threatened and Alyssa tearfully sat back down as Hannah tried to soothe her.

Aaron then spoke "You're honor this line of questioning falls under Doctor/Client privilege."

"Mr. Lewis, normally it would, except these are war records and they weren't sealed, and this information is evidence that the younger Dixon has had periods of mental instability and that could have lead to the events that night. I will let the questioning stand." The judge said.

Gregory then continued "So we know Mr. Dixon, that you have not always made the most rational decisions and you are prone to violent outbursts. Is it not true you were involved in a violent and public altercation with the three defendants just a few months earlier? Is it also true that you had violent outbursts against your father in the same time frame? We have witnesses to both events, as well as a written testimony from your father stating you almost killed him in a fit of rage back last August."

Daryl was speechless "He got what was coming to him." He finally said. Aaron looked like he wanted to die right then and there.

"So you are saying that you believe that violence is justified. Let's be honest then about that night in February. Could it be possible that those boys were following you and your brother to confront you about your attack and that in turn they were defending themselves when they realized they were outnumbered? Did you not say it was you that dragged Mitchell to the lake? And is it not true that your brother Merle was attacking Dave and Tony before they were finally able to subdue him?" Gregory asked in a snide turn.

Daryl then blurted out "They were trying to kill them kids after they killed their mama. They killed that woman in cold blood…a bullet straight through her brain, no questions asked."

"No Mr. Dixon, it was self defense after they realized they were outnumbered. This young man Noah had publicly threatened everyone in this town and these boys were doing what they thought was right. The mother, she was an innocent casualty, but like I said before, the entire act was self defense." Gregory said as he slammed his fist down on the desk to make a point.

Daryl looked around. He knew he had let everyone down and he knew now he was the weak link. There wasn't anyway now that they were going to get the conviction he was certain that was going to happen. He looked over at the Jury and he could see the look on their faces, they didn't believe him or his testimony. All they saw was a mentally unstable man who for the past twenty years had sulked around town and was prone to violent outbursts. These people in this town now believed that Will Dixon was a saint and the defender of their unfair practices of discrimination.

"I ain't got nothing else to say. I know what happened that night, and I know that family was murdered." Daryl said.

"Just like you have been telling everyone who would listen that your father Will Dixon was behind the whole thing, even though there is not one shred of evidence linking him to the crime? You're honor…the defense rests." Gregory said smugly.

After Daryl came down from the witness stand he sat stoically by Merle. Merle could see the defeat in his brother. "You didn't do nothing wrong Daryl. They didn't fight fair."

Daryl didn't respond. He just looked down and didn't make eye contact with anyone while both lawyers made their closing arguments.

The jury was dismissed, and fifteen minutes later the jury returned and the verdict was read. All three men were found innocent of all charges on the grounds of self defense and were set free. The defense team all offered hugs, handshakes and pats on the back while Aaron was only able to muster an apology.

"I'm so sorry. We tried gentlemen, but I knew this would happen. Until the time comes when people are willing to see each other as equals, this type of injustice will continue. For now, I suggest you don't let it bother you and go about your business as usual. There will come a time when what is fair will take precedence, I just hope it is in my lifetime." Aaron told the brothers, his disappointment not being hidden one bit.

…

As they walked out of the courtroom towards their cars, the whole family was somber. Alyssa held onto Daryl's hand knowing he was hurting and embarrassed. All the risks and concern for Noah's family had been pointless. They had been brutally murdered, and those responsible for the act were walking around free. As Daryl helped Alyssa get into the truck he was startled by the sound of the one person he hated most in this world, his own father.

"Told ya not to fuck with me boy. You will not win. Now I truly hope you have a good day." Will taunted.

Daryl spun around and immediately went after his father, but fortunately Jess and Merle had spotted Will and Merle was able to subdue Daryl before he was able to assault his father.

Jess looked at his older brother "You need to get the hell out of here now or I will let your son go and it won't bode well for you old man. All these people would testify it was 'self-defense'"

"Fine! Just so you all know, you can't defeat me. Y'all still think you're better than me, but as you can tell the good folks around here know who stands with them, and it ain't you sorry sympathizers. You boys ain't nothing but a fucking disappointment to me…always have been and always will be." Will said as he walked off laughing at them like they were nothing better than dirt.

Merle was still holding Daryl who was breathing erratically and still trying to break the confines of his brother's arms so he could tear his father apart.

"You need to calm down Daryl. Ain't nothing we can do right now. Take a deep breath, collect your thoughts, and let's get the hell back home. Can you do that?" Merle asked Daryl.

Daryl didn't say anything, he just got his breathing under control, got in the truck and then drove back to the farm.

…

As soon as Daryl and Alyssa got home, Daryl helped Alyssa out of the truck and the two went into the house. Daryl had still yet to say one word since the altercation with his father and that had Alyssa more than a little concerned. He paced around the living room like a caged tiger, unable to rid himself of the pent up anger that was raging inside of him.

Finally Alyssa couldn't take it any longer "Daryl, will you please say something?"

Daryl stopped pacing and then looked at her "I'm sorry. This time there ain't any denying it, this was my fault. I was the weak link and they knew it. I don't know how they knew about my army medical records, but if they hadn't had all of that, then we might have stood a chance."

"Stop it right now. They probably knew about the records because your dad either told those men, or he personally told the attorney." Alyssa said to her husband.

Daryl then went over to the couch and flopped down and let out a sigh. "The defense attorney was related to Jesus."

"What? How? Are you saying Jesus told him? How would Jesus even know about your medical records?" Alyssa asked in a confused tone.

"No, Jesus said that his brother practiced out of Atlanta, but he specialized in taking on cases to defend Klan members. Jesus talked Aaron into trying to get a continuance, but the judge wouldn't allow it. We never really stood a chance. The whole Goddamn thing was just a formality to make it look like the justice system tried to do the right thing. Maybe it would have been better if we would have just kept our nose out of the whole situation. Noah would most likely still be dead, but Merle would have his hand, Noah's mother and brothers would still be alive, and my past wouldn't have been broadcast for public record. Tomorrow the whole story will be in the papers, and now Milton has even more evidence to get me put away. I'm sorry Alyssa." He told her, barely able to look her in the eyes.

"Daryl, if Milton tries to do that, then I have a plan. I have a very good friend that I went to medical school with named Denise. She's a psychologists in Savannah and I can have her do a professional assessment on you if we have too. Since Milton is a General Physician, and she is a Clinical Psychologist, that means that no matter what Milton tries to prove, if she says you are mentally fit, then he has no case against you. I don't know why I didn't think about it to begin with." She told her husband as she sat down beside him and placed her hand on his leg, which was bouncing wildly with his nervous energy.

"You can do that?" He asked.

"I can and I will." She assured him.

"Does that mean I can beat the shit out of him?" Daryl asked in an almost hopeful voice.

"No it does not. If we let things alone there is a good chance that we won't need Denise and I am sure you don't want to have to go through all of the psychological testing that Denise would have to do. I'm just telling you that we have an out if we need it. We both know you are not a threat to anyone, well at least to anyone who hasn't tried to wrong us." She said, giggling a little at the last part of her statement.

Daryl finally felt a sense of relief. He didn't have to keep holding his breath fearing men in white coats showing up to take him away from his family. Without thinking he pulled Alyssa to him and gave her a desperate, yet loving kiss. "Thank you baby." He told her in a soft and tender voice.

"No one is going to take you from me…from us." She said rubbing her belly, and then she wrapped her arms around him and held on to him tightly.

…

Friday night was the much anticipated Town Hall meeting in Holly Springs. The school auditorium was overflowing with people, including Philip Blake and his security team. It was the first time Daryl had seen his father since the altercation the previous day, and for the first time in his entire life, he looked at Will and felt absolutely nothing for the man. No anger, no fear, no hurt…just nothing. Alyssa had spent the remaining part of the previous day just talking to Daryl. She convinced him that the only way he was going to lead a happy life was to let go of the past. He just had to accept that if he let his father still negatively impact his world, then he would never be free of the man and he would never know true joy. Will would continue to be the dark cloud that had always hung over Daryl unless Daryl could find a way to shut him out. Daryl thought long and hard about what Alyssa had told him, and he finally accepted that she was right. So on this night when he saw Will, he just saw an asshole who wasn't worth the effort of worrying about anymore. Daryl had finally been able to mentally free himself of the man, and it felt liberating.

All of the Dixon's were sitting together in the auditorium when the meeting was called to order. The first man to speak was the gentleman who had purchased the Rock Quarry, Ezekiel King. He walked into the auditorium and the entire building was suddenly hushed. You see, the one thing that no one had mentioned was that Ezekiel King was a black man.

Daryl had to fight back a smile as heard the gasps of most of the white citizens of Holly Springs. Finally, a man of color who had legitimate power, and there wasn't one damn thing anyone could do about it. Ezekiel introduced himself and told the story of how his Grandfather, Zachariah had been a slave, but had been freed before the war had begun. His previous owner had left his Zachariah fifty acres of land after the man had saved his master's daughter from an attack by one of her suitors.

With the land, Ezekiel's grandfather had started a farm and became quite successful, especially after finding that the land had large deposits of marble. They built a quarry on the land, and were soon excavating so much marble they could barely keep up. After that the Zachariah expanded the business and now all these years later the King family owned over a dozen quarries.

After introducing himself, he explained that he was looking for at least a hundred men to work in the quarry, and that he would be paying top dollar for those workers, as long as they were loyal and dependable. Race didn't matter as long as they didn't mind the hard work. Then Ezekiel had made the announcement that took them all by surprise. He was permanently moving to Holly Springs and making it the headquarters of his operation. Over the past few months everyone had seen a giant mansion being built on the western side of town, and the rumor had been that it was Philip Blake upgrading again, but it turned out that the mansion was being built by Ezekiel himself. This time it was Merle who let out an audible laugh. He turned to Daryl "This Ezekiel is my type of guy." Daryl couldn't help but smile. Ezekiel King coming to Holly Springs was the equivalent of giving the middle finger to all the white supremacist in the county. And Daryl also noticed that the man had his own security team that dwarfed the team Philip Blake had surrounding him. The very large Samoan man that was always within arm's reach of Ezekiel let everyone know this guy was not someone you could get rid of with a rope. Ezekiel commanded respect, and that meant people like Philip Blake had to respect him as well. Everyone could suddenly feel the power shift in Holly Springs.

Though the introduction of Ezekiel was on the agenda for the meeting, the biggest reason Dale had called the meeting was to discuss the rebuilding of East Holly Springs.

"As many of you know the fire last fall on the eastern side of town was absolutely devastating and all these months later the amount of rebuilding that has been done is minimal. Financially there are many businesses and families that just don't have the means to rebuild what they lost. There have been a few pleas from the church and other individuals have tried to collect donations, but it seems that for the most part, no one has been really willing to step up. Therefore, as Mayor of Holly Springs I am using my power to release cash from the Town's emergency fund to get the rebuilding started." Dale said proudly. He may be at risk of losing his job as mayor, but he could release these funds before Blake took over.

"This is ludicrous!" Pete Anderson exclaimed loudly, followed up by a symphony of people agreeing with him.

Dale raised his hands up to get people to settle down "And what do you suggest we do Dr. Anderson? Those people pay taxes just like you and me and they are just as eligible for financial assistance as anyone else in the town. If we continue to let the East Side of town remain in shambles, that will bring the property value and the reputation of this community down. The color of the skin of most of the individuals that live down there has no effect on the laws on the books. We have the funds for a situation like this and I am exercising my right as mayor to release those funds."

There were still many angry grumbles amongst the people, but Dale was right, there wasn't anything that anyone could do about it. It was well within his power of mayor to do so, and Daryl was actually proud of the old man for doing so.

After Dale's announcement, a few other minor matters of business were announced, and then the meeting was adjourned. As everyone filed outside the school, Daryl heard Blake Grand standing about his plans to 'clean up' the town permanently and how he was going to rid the town of all crime and undesirables. Of course many people were standing around the guy cheering like he was a war hero or something, but Daryl also noticed for the first time in a long time that there were many people who weren't supporting Blake and his ideas. It seemed to dawn on many of the citizens that times were changing and if they continued to hold onto the old bigoted ways of the south, then maybe they would get left behind.

…

Monday morning Daryl and Merle were helping one of Merle's heifers deliver he calf. It ended up that two of the original heifers managed to survive the poisoning and that meant that the dairy would be a little more profitable than originally thought. It was just a bit of luck, but the Dixon's would take it. There had been additional rain and it looked like the crops might begin to thrive again, and Jesus and Daryl had got the ventilation system working in the poultry house. The egg production was double what it had been and it seemed like every day a few more people would stop by to pick up milk, cream, and eggs from the Dixons.

That Monday they received a strange and unexpected visit from Eugene Porter himself. He stood there awkwardly as he entered the barn to find Merle with his arm stuck straight up the heifer's rectum. "I need to speak to you and your brother."

Merle almost laughed "Can you see I'm a little busy right now?"

"I do see you have your hand stuck up a cow's ass if that is what you are meaning." Eugene responded. Daryl came into the barn at that moment and gave Merle a look of confusion.

"What's going on?" Daryl finally asked the very pensive looking Eugene.

"I found out where the Poison Hemlock originated. The soil samples show that it is growing near a water source with a sandy bottom. No red clay, so that means that it came from the eastern side of town and I did some investigation and found a field divided by a creek where numerous plants were growing. There also was evidence that many of the plants had been recently harvested." Eugene told both men.

Since Merle was currently busy helping his heifer deliver her calf, Daryl reached out and took the piece of paper that Eugene held up to him. It had an address and a name on it and Daryl recognized it.

"You have got to be kidding me?" Daryl said.

"What is it baby brother? I can't exactly come look at what you have in your hand there." Merle said sarcastically.

"The field is on land owned by one Theodore Douglas. Now I think I know why he quit the way he did." Daryl said, feeling somewhat betrayed by the man he had taken such a liking too.

"You have got to be kidding me. That boy was a good worker, and he seemed to genuinely like us. None of this makes sense." Merle said.

Daryl looked at his brother "Looks like we are going to be making a trip out to the Douglas farm this evening."

"Damn right we are." Merle assured his brother.

…

That night the Dixon's traveled out to the Douglas farm to meet with Theodore. They both went up the front porch of the older, but well kept home and Merle knocked on the door. When Theodore opened the door, an immediate look of panic washed across his face and Merle caught it immediately.

"We need to talk" Merle said in a tone that let the man know there was no other choice.

Theodore reluctantly opened the door and let the two brothers in the house. Daryl was the first to speak and he quickly went over to Theodore and aggressively stuck his finger in the younger man's face "I don't know what the hell you were thinking doing what you did, but you fucking owe us four cows you asshole."

Theodore looked nervous as Daryl was now practically nose to nose with him, and he was about to reply when another man in glasses came from upstairs with a shotgun in his hand. "I don't know who you men are, but you best be getting the hell out of my cousin's house."

"Heath" Theodore said "They are owed an explanation. They were fair to me and it's my chance to come clean."

That had both of the Dixons interest. "Look, it was me that poisoned them cows, but I had no other choice. I don't want to end up at the wrong end of a rope, and I don't want my wife and kids to end up that way either. One of those 'enforcers' from the Klan came by and threatened me and my family. It ain't no secret what happens to folks that go against them. They told me I had to poison them cows and create a hardship for you, and they told me I had to quit working for you if I knew what was good for me and my own." Theodore confessed.

"Do you know who it was?" Daryl asked.

"No, they showed up here on night in robes and burned a cross out on the lawn. I can show you the remnants if you don't believe me." Theodore told them.

"Why didn't you say anything? We could have helped you and avoided all of this." Daryl said.

"Yeah, well no offense, but y'all tried to help Noah and his family and that didn't turn out so good. It was just better that I did what they told me to do. I ain't felt nothing but guilt since it happened and I'm sorry, but I gotta protect my family." The man told them and Daryl and Merle understood it.

"You still owe me four cows." Merle said.

"I got a new job at the quarry making good money. I'll pay you what I owe you over time if that is OK with you." Theodore told them.

"We'll work something out." Merle replied. After that he and Daryl got in the truck and left.

"So what do we do?" Merle asked Daryl as they drove back to the farm.

"Let it ride for now. If we don't do or say anything, Will is going to become more confident, and that means he is going make a mistake. When he does, that's when we act. For now, we just live our life as if he doesn't exist." Daryl told Merle.

"You think you really can do that?" Merle asked.

"Gotta. I got a wife and baby on the way, and that is what matters to me right now. I ain't gonna let that asshole taint my life no more. But like I said, when he makes his mistake, I will be the first one there to see he gets what he deserves." Daryl said emphatically.

"Damn straight baby brother." Merle told him and the two of the returned back to the farm with a sense of peace they had not had in a long while.

…

S **orry for the week lag, I had to work all of last weekend and had no time to update. Just so you know, I only have two chapter left before I end this story. But fear not, next chapter will be a long one and we will cover quite a bit.**

 **Thanks so much for everyone who follows, and I absolutely LOVE the reviews you have been leaving. So far I haven't had any negative reviews and that makes me HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY!**

 **A special thanks to the following loyal reviewers: Y'all are incredible.**

 **Xjes**

 **Sharin Cole**

 **.2017**

 **ArcheryLefty**

 **DarylDixon'sLover**

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 **Hugs and Kisses**

 **Missy**

 **XXOO**


	28. Chapter 28

**Late August 1939**

Daryl was sitting out on the porch of he and Alyssa's new home, sipping on his cup of coffee and thankful that they had managed to harvest their fields and get their cotton to market a few days earlier. The large front windows were open allowing the rare summer breeze to flow through the house. He could hear Alyssa upstairs in the baby nursery trying to get it arranged to her liking. They had driven into Canton the previous day and purchased baby furniture for the room. Since they didn't know if they were having a girl or a boy, Alyssa had decorated the room in a pale yellow gingham. She had been making curtains and pillows for the past few weeks and Daryl had to admit the room looked perfect for a little baby to thrive. She had taken Daryl's little crib and refinished it, and it now sat in their master bedroom. Alyssa had insisted that the baby would sleep with them for the first month, so the crib was a perfect fit in their room. Their baby was due within the week and every time Alyssa made an odd sound or groaned when she stood up, Daryl was just sure she had gone into labor.

Tyreese had done a remarkable job in the restoration of the home. The wooden floors were immaculate and Alyssa had picked out some oriental rugs to bring color into the room. Alyssa also loved all the light the large windows provided, and she had picked out some sheer curtains to allow that light to come in naturally. The house turned out even better than they expected. Daryl said the house now reminded him of when his grandparents had lived in the home, and all signs that Will had lived here were gone. The furniture in the new house was still their old furniture from the other house, but Daryl had promised they could shop around for new furniture once they had harvested the crops and knew how much profit they would clear. Miraculously it was a decent profit, though not as good as the previous years. They also had the added expenses of the livestock this year, but it appeared that both the poultry house and Merle's dairy were thriving.

Merle was wearing a big smile on his face these days and Daryl could attribute that smile to two things. One was that Andy was a healthy and thriving baby that could steal a room in a second. The child was good natured and well behaved and loved attention from others. Sometimes Daryl thought Merle mothered the baby more than Beth did. It amazed Daryl to see how far Merle had come, but he figured that all those years he spent practically raising him left Merle with the natural instinct of protecting and loving the small and vulnerable.

The second thing that Daryl attributed to Merle's big smile was that he was pretty sure Merle and Beth were sharing intimacy again. Even though Merle had been very respectful of Beth's healing process after delivering her baby, he also knew it was killing Merle to not have that physical relationship with his wife. By the time Andy was six weeks old, Merle had been acting like an angry snake. Then one morning a few days later Merle was whistling and smiling again. It didn't take a genius to figure out why. Now Daryl wondered just how long it would be before Merle got Beth pregnant again.

Twice a week Beth and Merle were treated to a night alone as Annette and Hershel insisted on having their grandson spend the night with them. It gave the couple a chance to relax as well as allowing Annette and Hershel a chance to bond with little Andy. Daryl and Alyssa had kept the baby twice, and both times it left the couple even more excited about the birth of their own baby. They had picked out names, but were keeping them a secret until the baby was born. In reality Alyssa had chosen the names, and Daryl went along with her choices. It was the least he could do for his wife knowing she had been the one who had endured carrying the baby for nine months and would be going through the painful process of childbirth very soon. The only thing that mattered to Daryl was that the child was healthy. He couldn't fathom how much it would hurt if they had gone this far into the pregnancy and something happened to the baby during the birth. He already loved his baby and would do anything to protect it.

Rosita was stopping by almost everyday to check on Alyssa, and in the process, the two women had become very close. Rosita and Shane attended Sunday dinner almost every Sunday now, instead of the occasional Sunday's like before. Last weekend the couple announced they were engaged and would be getting married within a few weeks. Daryl was a bit surprised to see Shane settling down, but then again, Rosita was a force to be reckoned with and he was pretty sure Shane loved the challenge. Yesterday though, Daryl had accidentally overheard a conversation between Rosita and Alyssa, and Rosita had confided that she was already expecting, and that was why her and Shane were so eager to get married. He had already proposed to Rosita, but the baby on the way made things a bit more urgent. Daryl of course, didn't judge them since this was not the first time someone he knew had put the cart before the horse so to speak. It was obvious the couple loved each other and Daryl knew both of them would be good parents. Shane, along with Rick and Jesus had become one of Daryl's closest friends, and just a year ago Daryl had no friends in his life. If you would have told him that his three best friends would be two cops and a homosexual man, he would have laughed, but here he was…happier than ever.

Tomorrow was going to be a big day for everyone as well. Maggie and Glenn were finally getting hitched and the Greene Family was having the wedding and a big barbecue afterwards to celebrate the young couple's nuptials. Daryl used to balk at the institution of marriage, he never could figure out what the big deal was, or why on earth someone would want to spend their entire life tied to another person, but of course, after he met and fell in love with Alyssa, that all changed. Now he felt sorry for anyone who hadn't found that person to share the rest of their life with. Of course, Maggie and Glenn's marriage wasn't going to be recognized by the state of Georgia. However they found a lawyer in Canton who wrote up documentation that made Maggie the soul beneficiary of Glenn's estate and made her his official power of attorney, meaning she could make decisions on his behalf. Then they did the same for Glenn, he was her power of attorney and also the beneficiary of her estate. This way they could still enjoy the benefits of a married couple without 'officially' being married. It was a strange loophole, but it would work. Reverend Jimmy had agreed to perform the ceremony and had told the couple that he believed that even though the state wouldn't legally recognize the marriage, as far as he was concerned they would be married in the Lord's eyes, and that was all that mattered.

…

The next day when Daryl and Alyssa woke up, they were greeted to cooler temperatures and low humidity. Thunderstorms had moved in during the night and brought a much needed and very rare cool front. Alyssa was so relieved with the cooler temperatures she thought she might sing. Being nine months pregnant it seemed she spent every waking moment hot and sweaty and the only relief she could get was soaking in a cold tub. If it were proper to walk around naked she would do it. Daryl felt sorry for his wife and knew that as excited as she was to be a mother, going through the last trimester of your pregnancy during the Georgia summer was less than ideal. Next time they would plan things a little better.

Alyssa groaned as she struggled to get out of the bed. Her huge belly made everything she did difficult and Daryl had even heard her curse a few times, something he had never heard before from her. He reckoned he could possibly be a bad influence on her, but he had to admit when she did swear it sounded more natural coming out of her mouth than it should. Did he marry a secret bad girl? The thought made him laugh as he knew Alyssa was as far from a bad girl as any woman could be. Daryl finally got up and helped Alyssa get out of the bed.

"You know you don't have to go to this wedding today. Everyone will understand." He told her.

"Are you kidding? I want nothing more than to attend this wedding. The Greenes are family, and Maggie and Glenn are taking a huge risk doing this. They both could get arrested if someone wanted to force the issue of interracial marriage. Plus I was one of those who encouraged Maggie to go through with it. No, I'm definitely going to be there. If I go into labor, then the baby is going to have to wait until after Reverend Jimmy blesses the marriage." Alyssa said laughing at the last part of her statement.

"Well if I think you are putting you or the baby's health in danger, I'm taking you home immediately. I agree that it is a big deal with them getting married, but our baby is a bigger deal to me." Daryl warned.

"Fine, but I think I'll be OK. The cooler weather is a blessing, and I know that Hershel and Glenn chose a shady spot for the wedding ceremony. I think we should be OK. I made potato salad and macaroni and cheese yesterday for the barbecue afterwards. Between Hannah, Beth, Annette, Me and Glenn's mother we should have plenty of food. Just so you know, Maggie has warned us that Glenn's mom will be bringing some authentic Korean food. She said it is very different, but very good as well." Alyssa informed her husband.

"Hell, I've ate worms before…ain't nothing gonna scare me." Daryl assured her.

"Yuck." Alyssa replied as she scrunched up her nose.

"Hey, when you ain't been fed in a week you will be surprised what you will eat." Daryl said and Alyssa knew he was referring to the hard times in his childhood.

"As God is my witness, you will never go hungry again." Alyssa half joked.

"You stole that from your 'Gone with the Wind' book…didn't you?" Daryl asked, knowing good and well she had. Her obsession with the book and upcoming movie had yet to be curbed.

"You know it Mr. Dixon. I'm channeling my inner Scarlet O'hara Wilkes Kennedy Butler." She teased.

"That Scarlet got around didn't she?" Daryl joked.

"She did what she needed too so she could survive. She never thought of consequences until she lost the man she didn't realize she was in love with." Alyssa told Daryl enthusiastically.

"Sounds like a damn mess to me." Daryl said.

"Oh Daryl, where's your romance?" She asked.

Daryl then walked over to her and gave her a deep kiss, then he rubbed her swollen belly "Growing inside of ya girl. If you want someone to write you poems or say some fancy shit, they you married the wrong guy."

"No, I married the right guy Daryl. Your imperfections are what make you perfect to me." She told him, giving him a loving smile.

…

Alyssa took a cold bath and then dressed in a pretty pink and white dress. There was no way of concealing her pregnancy at this point, and her attending an event nine months pregnant was a bit taboo for the times, but it didn't matter to her. She was proud of the fact that her and the man she loved conceived this child, and she thought it was silly to hide yourself during the final few months of gestation. It wasn't any type of secret that she and Daryl were expecting, and if people couldn't handle the fact that her and Daryl had sex to conceive the child, then they were the ones with issues.

While Alyssa was getting dressed, Daryl had taken a shower. They both loved the shower in the master bathroom and enjoyed a round or two of hot steamy sex when they first moved into the house. However, Alyssa had stuck strictly to baths over the past month. Alyssa had just finished pinning up her hair when Daryl emerged from the shower wrapped in only a towel. Seeing her husbands broad shoulders and fit physique could still made her want him more than anything, but they had to get dressed and Alyssa was so far into the pregnancy that finding a comfortable sexual position was next to impossible.

Daryl pulled on a pair of gray cotton slacks and a white button up shirt. His hair was shaggy again, and Alyssa didn't complain. Most women liked their husband to be clean cut and shaven, but Alyssa liked Daryl looking rugged. He oozed masculinity, and for some reason that made her feel safe.

Alyssa struggled to find a pair of shoes that fit, and finally she found a plain pair of sandals that she could fit over her swollen feet. It seemed there wasn't one part of her that wasn't swollen or bloated. Her breasts were huge, her ankles and feet were swollen, her face was fuller than normal, and of course her belly looked like she had an entire nation living in it. She had managed to stop gaining non baby weight mid way through the pregnancy, but the baby itself seemed huge. She was dreading the thought of having a ten pound baby. If she did indeed give birth to a giant, she knew she was gonna be hurting afterwards for a good long while. Hopefully Rosita knew some type of trick that could make the birthing process a little less painful if that was the case.

After the couple dressed they got in the truck and headed next door to the Greene's farm. Daryl brought the food that Alyssa made up to the kitchen to hand to Annette, and then they drove up the path towards a copse of trees growing by one of the ponds on the property. Alyssa needed help again getting out of the truck and Daryl was right at her side. Walking had been reduced to waddling and Alyssa would be the first to tell you it was not a glamorous way to get around. Beth had waddled a bit as well, but she was so tiny even when she delivered that it was barely noticeable. Alyssa however, was much larger framed than Beth, and her waddle was very noticeable. Of course, Merle was always the first to tease her about it. He even had the audacity to ask her if she was turning into a Penguin, which earned him a smack on the arm by Beth, and a tongue lashing from Daryl. Alyssa on the other hand couldn't stifle her laugh. She had thick skin, and knew Merle's teasing meant he loved her.

It was a slow go walking over to the chairs that were set up for everyone to sit in. Merle and Beth arrived with Andy shortly after Alyssa and Daryl had arrived, and then the few other guests slowly showed up. All of the Dixons were there, along with Rick and Michonne and the kids, Shane and Rosita, Glenn's parents, and a few other families from the Church. All in all there were about forty people in attendance.

The ceremony was beautiful, but not as beautiful as Maggie Greene was on her wedding day. She wore an off the shoulder white lace dress with a full skirt of layers and layers of lace and taffeta. Maggie's hair had grown longer than the short hair she normally wore and Beth had curled it into soft waves. Maggie didn't wear a veil, but instead she wore a tiara made of pearls, and finished off her look with a delicate silver necklace, earrings, and bracelet. When Hershel walked Maggie down the aisle to join her with Glenn, there wasn't a dry eye in the house. Even Daryl was sniffling a bit. It seemed everyone was fully aware of the struggle the couple had gone through just to get to this point. Even Reverend Jimmy mentioned it in his closing words after he pronounced the couple married in the eyes of God.

After the ceremony everyone made their way back to the house and they were treated to a monstrous spread of food. Alyssa offered to help serve, but Annette adamantly told her to find a comfortable seat and rest. Alyssa wouldn't admit it, but she was relieved she wouldn't need to stand on her feet for the next hour.

People quickly gathered around the food and began to help themselves to the feast that was laid out for them. Beth was directing everyone where to sit after they fixed their plate, and also had told everyone where the restrooms were if they were needed. Hannah was pouring sweet tea and lemonade, and Maggie and Glenn were sitting at the main table with Hershel (who was bouncing Andy on his knee) and Glenn's parents. It didn't take long for someone to pull out some instruments and a genuine blue grass festival started. Everyone was having a great time and just enjoying the new couple and each other's company.

Most of the women had gathered around Alyssa and were peppering her with questions about the baby. Things like "do you want a boy or a girl", "how are you decorating the nursery" and of course "have you picked out names." One lady then asked if they ever found her attacker and Alyssa found herself overwhelmed. She hadn't mentioned to anyone other than the family and Rick that she knew her attacker, and Milton had done a good job of avoiding the Dixons. Rosita noticed Alyssa's change in disposition, and stepped in. "Shane and I are engaged." She then flashed the diamond that Shane had purchased for her and suddenly all the attention was on Rosita and her wedding, and of course "are you planning on children right away?" Alyssa flashed Rosita a knowing smile and Rosita responded "we are going to try." She wasn't about to let on that she was already expecting. Of course one of the women did openly express that she never thought Shane Walsh would settle down. All the ladies laughed and someone added they never thought the Dixon boys would marry either, but look how well it turned out for them.

Daryl watched Alyssa from a distance as he had eased away from her when all the ladies had swarmed her. He was standing by the barn smoking a cigarette when he heard someone clear their voice. He looked up to see Merle standing a few feet away. "You got another one of those?"

Daryl offered a cigarette to his brother and then replied "You know they sell these things in the store for real cheap."

"Shut it boy, I don't smoke anymore." Merle said.

"Could have fooled me. Beth is still gonna smell it on ya." Daryl replied.

"It's easier to ask for forgiveness than it is to ask permission. She won't be too hard on me." He laughed.

"What did you think of the wedding? It was a bit fancier than each of ours." Daryl said.

"It was, but they deserved it. They are risking a lot doing this." Merle commented.

"Would you do it? You know, if you were in love with someone that was colored?" Daryl asked.

"Look, I'm gonna tell you something but it stays between you and me. You remember Sasha Williams, Tyreese's sister?" Merle asked his brother.

"Yeah, I remember her." Daryl replied, curious so hear what Merle was gonna say.

"Well I used to have a real thing for her. Back when I was running wild. You know I liked all ladies, regardless of the color of their skin, but I really liked that gal Sasha. She was tough and beautiful, and was real quick to call me out on my bullshit. I asked her out more than once, but she always turned me down." Merle confessed.

"You realize her brother could break you in two." Daryl replied.

"I'm well aware of that, but fortunately for me he is a gentle giant. Trust me, Sasha was a lot scarier. She had been dating Doc Bob for a while and I couldn't convince her to leave him for me. We all know the Doc drank too damn much, but Sasha saw him for who he was. Heard she was the one who got him sober after Alyssa came to town. When he died in the fire, Sasha decided to leave and head North." Merle informed Daryl.

"Seems you did keep up with her." Daryl said.

"I really had strong feelings for her, but it was at a point in my life when I wasn't fit to settle down. I always had feelings for Beth, but figured she would never give me the time of day. Sasha was a beautiful distraction…a dream so to speak, but it never went my way. Guess God had different things in mind for me. But I will admit, if Sasha had agreed to be with me, I probably would have risked breaking the law to be with her. Hell, I probably would have left Holly Springs and everything I've ever known to have been with her. But it didn't happen, an I can't imagine being with anyone but Beth for the rest of my life." Merle told Daryl.

"We both got it good now Merle. You, Beth, and Andy, and soon Me, Alyssa, and our little one. This is the most normal our lives have ever been. It feels damn good." Daryl said as he felt himself getting emotional.

"We deserve it baby brother. It seems like the good Lord finally is rewarding us for all the shit we had to endure in the past. Those memories won't ever go away, but it does seem they fade more and more everyday." Merle mused.

"It does…an I know now that no matter what our Pa does, he has no influence on me anymore. He is gone from our lives and we don't have to deal with him ever again." Daryl stated emphatically.

"Yep, we won." Merle said as he clapped his brother on the back and the two went back to join everyone else.

…

The Monday after the wedding Beth had convinced Merle to let her drive into Canton alone so she could file Andy's birth certificate with the county. It was something they should have taken care of weeks ago, but with all of the work being done on the farm and all the drama that had occurred with the attack by Milton, and the poisoning of the cows, Beth had simply not followed through. Merle had agreed to keep Andy and gave Beth a few extra dollars so she could go shopping for herself if she wanted too. There were a few bolts of fabric that Beth had her eyes on and she decided she would stop by the fabric store and procure the material, along with a couple of dress patterns. It had been so long since she had treated herself to new clothes, and Merle had given her more than enough money to buy what she wanted.

Beth pulled out of the farm driveway and turned onto the main road to Canton. She had gone just a little over two miles when she looked up and noticed a Holly Springs police car following her and just a few seconds later the blue lights turned on and Beth knew she needed to pull over. She didn't think she was speeding, but she also couldn't be sure. Sometimes she got a song in her head and didn't pay attention like she should. Maybe Rick or Shane needed her for some reason.

When the law officer emerged from his car to approach Beth's truck, she realized it was Gorman. He approached the window of the car where Beth sat patiently.

"Good afternoon Ms. Dixon." Gorman said in a tone that gave Beth the creeps.

"Officer Gorman, was I speeding?" She asked.

"Can I ask you to get out of the vehicle?" Gorman said, not answering her question.

"Um, can I ask why?" Beth asked, her fight or flight instinct kicking in.

"I'm asking the questions Ma'am. Once again, can you please get out of the vehicle? Now!" Gorman said tersely.

Beth didn't want too, but Gorman was a law enforcement officer, and he had a gun. So hesitantly she opened the door of the truck and got out. As soon as she got out of her vehicle, Gorman quickly grabbed her and dragged her from the truck into the woods. Beth was kicking and fighting in an attempt to get out of the man's grip, but her small size versus his large stature was no match. It didn't take him long to have her safely off the road and deep enough into the woods so that anyone driving bye wouldn't see her. She was terrified.

As Beth kicked and scratched, Gorman began to tear at her blouse. Beth shouted "If you do this to me my husband will kill you."

"If you tell your husband about this you sign his death warrant. I know for a fact that a group I'm associated with will not hesitate to kill him, or his brother…and if you say anything about this, they are as good as dead." Gorman threatened.

Beth still continued to fight with everything she had, and by now Gorman had her shirt completely off and her skirt pushed up over her hips. Beth looked around to see if she could find something that could be used as a weapon. Gorman was too busy holding her still to notice, but Beth had reached for a good size rock. As Gorman began to fumble with the zipper on his trousers, Beth took her chances and bashed Gorman in the head. She didn't knock him out, but she created enough of a distraction that she was able to escape his hold on her. She couldn't run back to the truck, because Gorman was blocking her way, so she took off into the woods back towards the house. She was only a few miles away, and she had explored these woods many times as a child, so she knew how to make her way home. As she ran towards home, she could hear Gorman screaming furiously at her, while threatening Merle's life once again.

By the time Beth emerged from the woods near her home, she was a mess of leaves, mud, and scratches from the branches she ran through. She burst through the front door of her home to find Merle sitting on their couch feeding Andy. The sound of her rushing into the house startled the little boy and he began to cry, while Merle took one look at his topless and dirty wife and began to panic.

"Beth?" He questioned as he quickly put Andy down in his bassinet and rushed to check out his wife.

"Merle…" was all she managed to get out before she began to sob as she fell into Merle's arms.

"Baby girl, what the hell happened? Did someone hurt you?" He asked, his voice trying hard to fight off the tears.

"They tried, but I fought back and all I could think about was getting home to you and Andy." Beth said as she continued to cry. Her body began to tremble as she realized just how close she had come to being raped.

Merle soothed Beth as he rubbed her back with his one good hand. He felt sick seeing his wife in this condition, and at this moment he also felt a rage he hadn't felt in a very long time. "I'm gonna kill the son of a bitch that did this to you. Do you know who it was?"

Beth nodded "I do, but they threatened to kill you if I said anything. Merle I can't risk losing you."

"Fuck Beth, do you know how many people have threatened to kill me in the past? Too many, hell they tried a few months back, and I still survived. The only thing that's gonna kill Merle Dixon is Merle Dixon. Now tell me what happened." Merle said in an almost demanding voice.

So Beth told Merle what had happened and how she had been taken off guard. Merle was pacing angrily in their living room. Andy began to cry again, and Beth, who was still a disheveled mess, walked over to the bassinet and picked up her son, soothing the baby immediately. She watched as Merle continued to pace, and finally she spoke "You can't kill him Merle. I will get cleaned up, and then we will take the baby to my parents, and you and I will go to the police station and file a formal complaint. Rick will believe me, and there is no chance that Gorman will walk away from an attempted rape charge on white woman. He's done Merle."

Merle took a minute to calm down. He let what Beth said to sink in and then finally he agreed. "Alright, that is what we will do. You're right, I don't wanna pull time for murder on account of that sick bastard. You do what you gotta do to get yourself feeling better, and then we will go down and talk to Rick"

…

By the time Beth got herself settled and to the point she felt calm enough to go to the police station, it was close to nine at night. Her and Merle had not told anyone in the family yet, and when they dropped Andy off with Beth's parents, they still didn't say a word. Though Annette could tell that something was wrong with her daughter, she didn't speak a word. She knew Beth well enough to know that her daughter would tell her what was wrong when she felt up to it.

Rick looked surprised to see Beth and Merle walk in the station this late at night. He knew immediately something wasn't right. "Hey there Merle, and Beth. Is something wrong?

"Yes, where is Gorman?" Merle asked.

"Off duty. Shane's got night patrol and he is responding to a report of a disturbance down where the lynchings have taken place. It was an anonymous call." Rick told Merle, and Merle suddenly got a sick feeling.

"We gotta go down there. You drive and Beth and I will tell you what happened. Rick you've got to find Gorman and put the asshole away. He's dangerous." Merle said emphatically and Beth shook her head in agreement.

As the three of them drove to the river bank, Beth filled Rick in with all the details of what had happened that afternoon, and Rick felt sick when he realized that his gut instincts about Gorman had been right all along. The man had managed to keep his hands clean, until now. What he did to Beth was more than enough to launch an investigation and gain an indictment. He was probably the most angry with himself though, for not putting a stop to Gorman sooner.

…

Shane had received a call while still at the station and told Rick he would go investigate. He parked his patrol car about a quarter of a mile from his destination. With the cover of night, he wouldn't be detected as easily and that gave him the element of surprise if he was indeed coming up on some Klan activity. However, Shane had no idea what he was walking into.

As he got closer her heard loud voices, and he recognized a few of them to his surprise. The other thing that surprised him was that the group of men were not cloaked in their white robes. Shane made his way close enough so that he could see everything now at this point. The first thing he noticed was that Will Dixon was standing there shouting at Theodore Douglas, who was being subdued by some local guys that Shane had arrested in the past for minor infractions such as breaking and entering, and drunken behavior.

"We told you that you needed to get the hell out of town after pulling the job on the farm, and yet here you are. We can't tolerate people who won't listen to us, so it looks like we gotta get rid of ya ourselves." Will said, receiving a few vocal approvals from the group.

"I got this boss." One man who was holding Theodore said. He pulled out a knife and raised it to the black man's throat.

"Stop!" Will Dixon said. "You know that ain't how we handle things, we need to send a message." That's when Shane noticed a man moving from the shadows carrying a rope. He then realized that man was none other than Gorman. Shit, their instincts about him were correct. It was at this point that Shane knew he needed to step in or Theodore Douglas was going to be a dead man.

Shane stepped from the shadows with his gun raised "Stop right now boys. This is over." Everyone in the group turned to look at Shane, and that's when Gorman reacted without thinking. He pulled the trigger on his service revolver and fired.

Will Dixon turned to look at the man in total disbelief "You stupid mother fucker, do you realize what you just did? You just killed a law officer with your service revolver. Their ain't no getting out of this for you? They are gonna trace that bullet straight back to you." Will shouted.

Without even blinking an eye, Will pulled out his own gun and fired a bullet straight into Theodore Douglas's head. Gorman knew he was next, at this point he was a liability that could expose the entire organization, so he took his gun and took off running into the woods.

…

Rick, Merle, and Beth pulled up just as Will and his crew were dispersing in a panic. Gorman had escaped the group and in the midst of all of the chaos, Rick deputized Merle and handed him a shotgun in the back of the patrol car.

"You know I ain't the best shot anymore with one damn hand." Merle replied hastily.

"I'm sure you can make it work." Rick replied hastily as he got out of the car and motioned for Merle to follow behind. They made it down to the bank of the river and found Shane, still alive, but gravely injured.

Shane was able to speak and he told Rick, who was on the verge of tears, that Gorman had took off but was still in the area, and then he informed Rick it was Gorman who had shot him. Merle shouted for Beth, knowing she would know what to do to help out Shane. Beth scrambled out of the car and headed down the riverbank.

Beth saw that Theodore was laying dead on the ground a few feet away, but at the moment she was focused on Shane. He was gasping for breath and had a bullet lodged in his chest. Shane was losing blood so fast that Beth knew she couldn't save him. She applied direct pressure on his chest and began to pray for the fallen officer.

Meanwhile, Rick and Merle had split up to find Gorman. Merle, who was more adept at tracking found a trail and began to follow it. It was then he spotted Gorman, trying to bury his gun. He continued to frantically dig until he heard the sound of the shotgun Merle was holding being pumped.

Merle's hand trembled as he held the gun on the man who had attacked his wife a few hours earlier, and he had to fight hard not to pull the trigger.

"You know I can kill you right now, and no one would blink an eye." Merle told the frightened piece of shit in front of him.

Gorman had raised his hands in surrender "But you won't."

"Yeah, and why is that?" Merle asked

"Because I know things that can bring down your father and the whole organization. If you don't kill me I promise to testify." Gorman said.

"Get up!" Merle commanded the man, and he did as Merle asked and then Merle led the corrupt officer back towards Rick's patrol car. He called for Rick to meet him at the vehicle.

Rick secured Gorman in the patrol car, while Merle ran to the closest neighbors house and had them contact the rescue squad. Then they both joined Beth who was holding vigil over Shane. He was barely conscious and pale as a ghost. Each breath was a painful struggle to hold onto life, and Rick dropped down on his knees beside his best friend. "Brother you are gonna be just fine."

Shane tried to smile, but it didn't quite meet his eyes "Rick…I ain't gonna make it. But you gotta promise me something." Shane said between gasps.

"Don't talk like that Shane, the ambulance is on the way and we will get you to the hospital. Just hold on." Rick begged.

Shane knew he only had a tiny amount of time left in this world and he had to say his piece "Rick, take care of Rosita and our baby…tell her I loved her and only loved her."

Rick felt himself lose it at that point "No, No, No…you have to survive Shane. You have a baby that needs its father."

Shane gasped out his last words "Promise me brother."

Rick was sobbing at this point as he knew Shane wasn't going to make it. "I promise…I promise."

Beth, who had been continuously checking for Shane's pulse felt his body go rigid. He was no longer breathing, and the ground around them was completely saturated in Shane's blood. She no longer felt a heartbeat or a pulse and knew that Shane was gone. She, Merle, and Rick were all overcome with grief as the ambulance and Abe arrived at the scene. Beth knew Rosita was going to be heartbroken, but she also knew based on what Shane had just disclosed that Rosita would have a part of Shane with her for the rest of her life. It was at that point that she made a promise to herself to help carry out Shane's wishes to take care of his love and his child. It was the best thing they could do to honor Shane's memory.

…

Within twenty four hours of Gorman's arrest Will Dixon and his entire house of cards had been brought to justice. Gorman had stayed true to his word in exchange for a prison sentence instead of the electric chair. He gave up everything he knew about the Klan's activities in Holly Springs. The State Bureau of Investigation had moved in swiftly and had taken Will, Philip Blake, Pete Anderson, and all their minions into custody. Gorman had told the investigative team where evidence could be found, including written records of the meetings, and places where evidence had been hidden. He linked Will directly to the lynchings, and signed written statements supporting his claims. The take down of Blake and his men lead to other numerous arrests throughout the state, and for all intents and purposes the Klan was done in Cherokee County.

Rick had approached Daryl and Alyssa and asked them if they would be OK if he pursued the charges for Milton's attack on Alyssa, and she agreed. So Daryl took Alyssa down to the police station and she filled out a formal complaint. Rick himself drove to the hospital in Canton and took Milton into custody. It was the final loose end that needed to be taken care of, and finally now, The Dixon's were free from their demons.

Shane's funeral was held two days later and it seemed everyone in the entire county was in attendance. He was heralded as a hero for bringing down the Klan and their "illegal reign of terror". Though Merle and Daryl were pretty sure that no one was really that thrilled with the Klan being eliminated. But publicly making the decree made good newsprint.

After the funeral, Alyssa and Beth stayed with Rosita, who had been inconsolable over Shane's death. Beth had told her everything that Shane had said as he lay dying, and promised that all of the Dixon's would do what they could to take care of her and her unborn child in Shane's memory.

"I had thought about leaving and heading back to Texas, but I'm going to stay here so me and my child can be close to Shane. It's what he would have wanted." Rosita said tearfully.

Alyssa then wrapped Rosita into a loving hug "If there is anything you need, Daryl and I are here for you…and I don't mean just now, I mean for the rest of our lives. Shane was like a brother to Daryl, and he will always make sure you are cared for."

"Y'all are the best family anyone could ever ask for." Rosita said as she continued to let Alyssa hold and comfort her.

"Don't you ever forget that young lady." Alyssa assured the younger woman.

…

A few days later Alyssa and Daryl were eating dinner while listening to their Radio programs. The two of them were discussing everything that had happened over the week. Daryl had found out that Paula and Andrea Blake had both been arrested on conspiracy charges, and that Paula had given birth in jail. Daryl had inquired about the child, but was told that the child was stillborn. The news saddened Daryl in the fact that he and Merle had lost a baby sister, but also there was a sense of relief in the fact that the child would not have to grow up with Will or Paula. Had the baby survived, Merle and Daryl would have done everything they could to make sure the child was taken care of, and that included both of them considering adopting the baby. But it seemed that God had other plans, and Daryl and Merle asked if they could have the infant released to them to make sure the child had a proper burial.

Alyssa hadn't been feeling well over the past two days and she knew it was because she was so close to her delivery date. She had been achy and suffering from Braxton Hicks contractions, but it was just the misery of being nine months pregnant that was dragging her down.

"I swear Daryl, I am so ready to get this baby out of me." She told him. They had decided that when she went into labor they would go to Canton to the hospital to deliver. Milton was on suspension pending the outcome of his trial, and Doctor Harlan Carson was now the head physician. The best news of all was he specialized in obstetrics. Daryl and Alyssa had gone the day before to meet the man, and both had left feeling comfortable with him delivering the child. As much as Alyssa had hoped Rosita could deliver the baby, they knew she was not emotionally ready to go back to work.

"I'm ready too Alyssa. Seems like we have been waiting forever." Daryl replied.

"Everything is ready, my bag is packed, the nursery is set up, the house is clean…now all we gotta do is wait on this little one." She said as she rubbed her belly.

"It'll be nice to sleep without the little one kicking me in the back each night." Daryl said.

"Trust me Daryl, once this baby is born you will be begging for the days that all that was being done to you was getting soft kicks in the back. Crying, diapers, colic…all of these things are what we are going to be dealing with." Alyssa said.

"Don't matter, it will just make everything all that more real. I still gotta kick myself to remember we have a baby on the way. Never in a million years would I have thought I was gonna be a poppa , and then you came along and shook up my world for the better." Daryl confessed.

"Me either Daryl. I thought I was going to end up an old spinster. This, being here with you in our home, talking about our baby seems like a dream come true. I've never been happier." Alyssa told Daryl.

He offered her a rare smile "I ain't never been this happy either. And now with Will out the way for good it's damn near perfect."

"Yes it is…it is perfect." Alyssa agreed.

…

At two in the morning Alyssa awoke to a slight popping sound and the feel of soaking wet sheets.

"Daryl…Daryl wake up, my water just broke."

"Huh?" Daryl said in a sleepy tone.

"My water broke" Alyssa said in a loud and panicked voice.

"Shit." Daryl said as he flew out of bed and quickly got dressed. He then helped Alyssa get dressed.

"Are you hurting?" Daryl asked.

"Just a little, but the contractions haven't started yet, but they will soon." She informed him.

Daryl was ready to fly out the door, but Alyssa told him they still had a little bit of time. She took the sheets from the bed and put them in the washing machine, and Daryl looked at her like she had lost her mind.

"What are you doing? We gotta get you to the hospital." He insisted in an almost frantic voice.

"Look these sheets are going to be disgusting in a few hours, so I'm going to put them in the washer, and put some clean ones on the bed. Then we can go."

Daryl let out a loud sigh, and then told Alyssa to sit down on the couch. He started the wash machine, and then pulled out a clean set of sheets and put them on the bed, and then upon Alyssa's request, he made up the bed properly.

"Can we go now." He asked.

"Yes we can." She said as she smiled, and Daryl grabbed her suitcase and they headed for Canton.

"I'll call everyone once we get you checked in at the hospital." Daryl told Alyssa as he helped her into the truck.

They were halfway to the hospital when Alyssa had her first real contraction, and she didn't like it one bit. She let out an "ouch" and Daryl immediately began to panic. "Do I need to pull over? Are we gonna have to deliver the baby here in the truck."

"Daryl Dixon, please stop panicking. It was only one contraction and it hurt a little. I need you to stay focused on getting us to the hospital and not killing us in a car crash. Can you do that?" Alyssa asked in a slightly frustrated voice.

"I can. I'm sorry, I just don't know that much about this stuff." He confessed.

"We'll be fine." She said, patting Daryl on his knee to offer him some comfort. She knew he was just as nervous as she was and she needed to remember that.

By four in the morning they had Alyssa checked in and Doctor Carson had been called in for the delivery. He examined her and she was dilated six centimeters and progressing well. The baby was in the proper position and Alyssa's contractions were coming at a steady rate. Daryl had begged to stay with her, but the nurses and the doctor, as well as Alyssa had told him he would best in the waiting room. He wasn't happy, but he complied with the request.

Merle and Beth had arrived and had dropped Andy off with Clarissa, while Hannah and Jess arrived shortly thereafter. The sun had not come up yet, and everyone but Daryl still looked tired. Daryl on the other hand was nothing but a nervous ball of energy. He had been smoking like a freight train in the waiting room, and every time the door to the maternity ward opened he was quickly on his feet.

Just before eight in the morning, Dr. Carson emerged from the maternity ward and approached Daryl.

"Good news Mr. Dixon. You have a daughter. She was born at seven forty-five this morning and weighed in at eight pounds and six ounces. There were no complications and both she and her mother are very healthy. I can take you to see them now."

Daryl looked around the room at everyone "I have a daughter. I have a fucking daughter."

"Language Daryl." Beth barked out as everyone burst out laughing.

"I'd give ya a hug baby brother, but I know you wanna go see them. Go see your daughter now." Merle told him as he gave his brother a bright smile.

Daryl didn't have to be told twice, he followed Dr. Carson who took him to Alyssa and his baby girl. When the doctor pulled back the privacy curtain, Daryl immediately broke down into emotional tears of joy. Alyssa was holding the tiny pink baby in her arms and Daryl had never seen anything as beautiful as his wife holding his daughter. His daughter…he had to repeat it in his head. He was now a father and his world would never be the same.

Wordlessly, Daryl moved to Alyssa and she handed him his child. The baby was swaddled in a pink blanket and Daryl pulled the small child to his chest. He gave the baby a soft kiss on the forehead and then looked at Alyssa "Thank you." Was all he could manage to get out.

"No, Thank you Daryl. She is just as much a part of you as she is of me. We did good." Alyssa assured him.

"Yeah we did." Daryl said as he began to rock and coo at his baby girl. "She's beautiful, just like her mama."

Alyssa smiled at him and just enjoyed the sight of Daryl holding their daughter. He seemed like a natural.

"Can I take her out to the family? And can I tell them the name now?" He asked.

"Yes Mr. Dixon, take our little girl to meet her family." She told him.

Very carefully, Daryl made his way out to the waiting room with his little girl. The whole family swarmed him immediately and they all fell in love with the child. Once everyone had taken a good look Daryl cleared his voice.

"I'd like y'all to meet Katy Scarlett Dixon." He announced.

Merle let out a laugh when he realized Daryl had broke down and let Alyssa have her "Gone with the Wind" Fantasy.

"Oh baby brother you got it so bad." Merle joked.

Daryl looked down at his infant daughter and smiled "Yeah I do. Best damn day of my life."

After he visited with the family he carried little Katy Scarlett back to Alyssa. She had fallen asleep, so Daryl carefully placed the baby in the small bassinet beside Alyssa's bed. Within a minute Katy Scarlett was also sleeping soundly and Daryl just stood there, tears in his eyes again, and watched his girls sleep. Daryl hadn't been lying when he said it, Today was the best day of his life, and he knew without a doubt there were going to a lot more going forward.

…

 **OK, I hope this chapter was better than the last. Only one more chapter left and it will be posted on Friday Dec 22nd. It is has a Christmas theme to it.**

 **Please drop me a line and let me know what you think. I tried to focus mainly on the Dixon's, but I wanted to have Shane's death be a noble death instead of how he went on the show. I wasn't the biggest Shane fan, but I also don't think he started off as evil. So I wrote him as a good guy in this story.**

 **I hope everyone is having a Happy Holiday Season, and we can all relax a little now that TWD is on hiatus until February. I love each and everyone of you who have been so kind to review.**

 **Thank you so much too the following for taking the time to leave a review.**

 **Sharin Cole**

 **.2017**

 **ArcheryLefty**

 **DarylDixon'sLover**

 **Take Care –**

 **Missy**

 **XXOO**


	29. Chapter 29

**12/24/1968**

Daryl was sitting in the living room of the Dixon home on Christmas Eve, just enjoying the sights and sounds of his family and friends. The house was elaborately decorated for Christmas with a giant tree, lots of greenery and lights, and a warm fire was roaring in the fireplace. Everyone was sitting in the living room watching the Color Television set, watching the first manned mission into space that had left Earth's orbit. It was an amazing to think that sixty five years earlier man recorded the first flight ever and it lasted just minutes. Now here they were as a Nation, watching a rocket orbit the moon, and the whole time the astronauts were communicating with the Earth, over two hundred and thirty thousand miles away.

Daryl was now 68 years old, an old man in most people's eyes, but he still felt a lot of life left in him. He gazed over at Alyssa who was talking to their daughter with a bright smile on her face. Katy Scarlett, who had grown into a beautiful woman who strongly resembled her mother, was asking for advice on child rearing. She was twenty nine years old now, and the mother of two children. A daughter Jennifer Lynn who was four and a son Matthew Daryl (everyone called him Matty) who was two. Katy Scarlett had gone off to college right after high school to pursue a degree in medicine like her mother, but along the way she met a young law student named Elias Leesburg and they fell in love and decided to marry. Elias was now a New York attorney and the family lived in an upscale apartment that overlooked Manhattan. It was a far cry from the life Katy Scarlett had known growing up in Holly Springs, but Daryl always knew his daughter would one day leave the farm. She wanted to take the world by the horns, and when she announced that they were moving up North, Daryl gave his daughter and her new husband his blessing. It broke his and Alyssa's heart to have her so far away, but they both knew that it made their daughter happy. So when Katy Scarlett called and said they wanted to visit with the kids for Christmas this year, Daryl and Alyssa were overjoyed.

Alyssa and Daryl had another child when their daughter was four, his name was Ashe Lee Dixon (yes, once again Alyssa's 'Gone with the Wind" influence won over). Unlike Katy Scarlett, Ashe wanted to stay on and run the farm. As Katy Scarlett was the spitting image of Alyssa, Ashe looked like a younger version of Daryl. He had gone to North Carolina State University and graduated with a degree in agriculture. Though the farm was 'officially' still run by Merle, Daryl, and Jess, it was actually Ashe who was running everything and making all the decisions. He had moved into Daryl and Alyssa's first home when he returned from college and he worked hard from sunup to sundown each day. He had yet to settle down as there were several ladies that seemed to enjoy his company. In that sense he was very different that his father. Daryl still worked just as hard on the farm, but he was getting slower in his older age, and Alyssa was starting to push him more and more about retiring. They both knew Ashe was more than capable of running things, it was just the fact that Daryl felt he would get bored if he didn't have the hard work to keep him busy.

Alyssa had returned to practicing medicine when Katy Scarlett had turned a year old, and as promised, Daryl had a wing built onto the house so she could stay home and run her practice. It worked out well with raising a family and still being there to help out if needed on the farm. After Pete Anderson was arrested with Blake and Will, there were no more physicians in town, and that was finally what led Alyssa into officially going back to medicine. Her office thrived over the years and she had decided she would practice until she could draw social security at age sixty five. At that time she would shut the clinic down and sell her equipment. There were now three physicians set up in Holly Springs, and when she retired the town wouldn't be left high and dry.

Merle was now 76 years old and still chased Beth around like he was a young man. He didn't really work on the farm much anymore, but he still oversaw the dairy and made sure everything was kept up to his standards. Merle spent the majority of his time leading the men's ministry at Church and working to help feed and clothe the poor. During the holiday season he had even dressed up like Santa to hand out toys to the less fortunate in Canton. He loved to brag to everyone that would listen about his pretty wife and how he attracted the much younger woman. Of course as time had passed he embellished the story a little and had begun telling everyone he bought her as a mail order bride. And every time Merle told the story, Beth would be right there to correct him (Some would say 'scold'), and then she would tell how they really met.

Beth was now a fifty year old woman and she still looked at Merle like he hung the moon. Things hadn't been easy for Beth over the years, but she was still just as positive and cheerful as she always was. As it turned out, Andy was the only child they managed to have. After his birth Beth conceived three more times, but each of those pregnancies ended in a miscarriage. Though she and Merle were devastated, they still felt blessed with the son that God had given them. Andy had grown into a handsome and kind young man with a charismatic personality like his father. He made friends easily and was always the first person to volunteer to help out if there were problems that needed to be handled. He worked hard on the farm, and enjoyed working close with his father doing ministry work. It came to Beth and Merle as no surprise when he announced he was going to Seminary after High School. When he returned from college it just so happened Reverend Jimmy was retiring, and Andy jumped at the chance to take over as the pastor of his home church. He was ordained and six years later he was still the pastor, while his father proudly served at his side. Shortly after his return back to Holly Springs he also began dating Judith Grimes, and the two were now engaged to be married. It wouldn't be the first Dixon-Grimes wedding, but it just cemented the closeness of the two families.

Beth however, had lost more than just her three pregnancies. Shawn had died on the beaches of Normandy on June 6, 1944. In 1946 her mother Annette had passed away after a short battle with cancer. Beth and Merle had both worked diligently with Maggie and Glenn to provide the best end care they could. Beth felt that deep down Annette was content with her death, because it meant she would be with Shawn again. When she finally succumbed to the sickness, it was Merle who was the most emotionally effected as he considered Annette like a mother and she had shown him nothing but kindness. She never once judged him for his misdeeds and the two had grown very close during his marriage to Beth. He was the one holding her hand when she drew her last breath and he had sobbed like a child at her funeral service.

Hershel died three months later of a massive stroke. Even though he was 80 years old, everyone knew he died of a broken heart. Annette had been a second chance at love for him, and after she passed Hershel just wasn't the same. After Hershel's death, Maggie and Glenn decided to sell the farm and move back to town as Glenn wasn't that good of a farmer. After much discussion, Jess decided to buy the Greene property so the Dixon's could expand their farm even more. Everyone pitched in to keep up the house and year later Clarissa and Carl Grimes were married and they moved into the old Greene home. Carl had begun to work summers at the Dixon farm during high school, and when he graduated he worked full time, living in the bunk house with the other farm hands. Everyone knew Clarissa and he would get married one day, and they finally did after she returned from college. They had decided then that Carl would run the farm with her help, and she was taking a job at the high school as a music teacher. They had done well and had two children when Carl was called up to serve in the Army during the Korean War. When Carl was drafted their son Jacob was three and their daughter Martha was just an infant. The rest of the family pitched in to help Clarissa sustain the farm in Carl's absence.. He returned a year and a half later after receiving a Purple Heart. He had lost his right eye in battle and was honorably discharged for his service. At first when Carl returned he was self-conscious about his injury, but after time and much reassurance from Clarissa and the rest of his family, he learned to live with his handicap.

Hannah and Jess had probably changed less than anyone in the family over the past thirty years. Jess was an old man now, at eighty four years old, but he still managed to get around as best he could. He had gradually lost most of his sight overtime, but was still mentally sharp. Hannah helped him get around these days, because if she didn't, Jess would just try to do things on his own, which included driving. Though Jess could see things up close, anything more than six feet away was a blur, and after he had put the truck in the ditch on three separate occasions, Hannah finally took the keys and hid them. Jess was a Dixon after all and he could be stubborn as a mule, but Hannah also knew that Jess had his pride, and losing his ability to drive made him feel helpless. Fortunately for them, Carl and Clarissa had blessed them with two grandchildren and Jess had become very close with Jacob which helped him keep his mind off of his failing vision. Both he and Hannah loved being Grandparents, and even though their grandkids were now 18 and 21 years old, in their hearts they still saw them as the young children they had come to cherish. For many years Hannah had helped Clarissa with keeping the children while she taught at the high school. Once the kids were old enough to take care of themselves, Hannah needed a distraction, so she spent much of her time working with the poor just like Merle had. She started the women's ministry at church and it had grown greatly over the years. Holly Springs Baptist Church had grown to one of the largest churches in the county, and it was the first church in the Cherokee County to fully integrate. The segregation of the races in Holly Springs had come a long way over the years, and all of the Dixon's felt like they had helped people in their community with acceptance of the varying races.

Back after Will and Paula had been arrested (and later convicted), Daryl and Merle made sure that their stillborn sister received a proper burial. They decided to bury the infant in the family cemetery, and had a small service with just the family. Since the child didn't even have a name, Daryl and Merle decided to name her Angel, as it seemed fitting since she never really lived in this world. They bought a small headstone and laid the child to rest respectfully. When Will finally passed away in prison, no one in the family even bothered to claim the body, and Will was buried in a mass grave in a cemetery for indigents. It seemed like the proper justice for such a cruel and hateful man. The best part was that no one even grieved, not even Paula, when she was released from prison she had quickly re-married and moved to Alabama without giving Will a second thought.

Jesus was with the family this Christmas Eve, as he had been for every Christmas Eve over the past thirty years. He was now a college professor in Atlanta who taught sociology. This year he had brought his roommate with him, none other than the District Attorney Aaron who he had met at the Dixon's trial years earlier. Though everyone in the family knew the two men were in a relationship, the men were referred to as roommates, since homosexuality was still not an accepted social convention. Either way, it didn't matter to the Dixon family, and they accepted both men as they would anyone else.

Rosita and her son, Shane Michael Walsh Jr. were with the family this Christmas as well. Just as promised, The Dixon's and Rick had done everything they could to help Rosita throughout the years with raising her son. Though Shane Jr. had never met his actual father, everyone had made it a point throughout the years to tell him about his father. Shane Jr. referred to all of the men as "Uncle" and they all looked at him as if he was a blood relation. Rosita had met a man named Spencer ten years earlier and the two married. While she was sure she would never love anyone like she loved Shane, she and Spencer did love each other. It was a late in life marriage for both, but they both seemed content. Shane Jr. had followed in his father's footsteps and was now the Chief of Police in Holly Springs. Rick had retired three years earlier, and Shane Jr. had stepped in and taken over.

The Civil Rights movement had made great strides over the past few years, and Holly Springs had benefited greatly. The previous year interracial marriage had been ruled on by the Supreme Court and it was determined that it was indeed legal, and that states couldn't ban mixed marriages. Shortly after the ruling, Rick had legally married Michonne, and Glenn and Maggie had officially married. Their son Hershel Jr. was confused to find out his parents hadn't legally been married for all these years, but when they explained to him the reasons why, he understood. He was twenty six years old and a civil engineer in Atlanta. He made it a point to make a special trip home to be with his parents as they filed their marriage certificate at the courthouse in Canton.

After the Klan was taken down, and Blake and all of his cohorts were arrested, things slowly began to change in Holly Springs. It seemed Ezekial coming to town helped with improving race relations. The man was colorblind, and he hired both black and white workers at the quarry. After the war ended, the quarry turned out to be one of the best places you could work in the area, and as a result many families moved to Holly Springs. Black and White citizens worked side by side, and friendships grew between men performing the hard labor together. East and West Holly Springs began to blend and by the late 1940's it was simply referred to as Holly Springs. Neighborhoods began to pop up around the quarry, and both white and black families lived together on the same street. Though integration was somewhat slow, over the past few years it had grown with leaps and bounds. The schools were now desegregated and houses of worship were slowly starting to blend the races as well. Holly Springs Baptist Church now boasted a congregation that was one third black, and Merle and Andy were ecstatic.

The money that Dale had allocated to rebuild the eastern section of town had been what was needed to get things up and going again. It took about a year to get everything back to normal, but the best thing was that the white residents on the West Side of town were curious to see the growth on the East Side. Slowly but surely , white residents were regularly venturing to the other side of town to shop and dine in the rebuilt establishments. The desegregation hadn't ended overnight, but it did seem to happen in Holly Springs faster than it did throughout the rest of the South.

Daryl relished the feeling of having all of his family and friends here with him this Christmas. Those feeling increased when his four year old granddaughter crawled up into his lap and gave him a hug.

"I love you grampy" she said. Just those simple words almost had Daryl in tears.

"Love you too baby girl." He told her as he held her tight.

"Santa clause is coming tonight. Will he know to find us here?" She asked in a very serious tone for a four year old.

Daryl had to hold back a laugh when he saw the genuine concern on Jennifer's face. "Oh yeah he will know, he sees everything and everyone." Daryl assured her.

"I know, I'm scared because I was mean to Matty in the car when we drove here." She said on the verge of tears.

"Hmmm…Did you apologize to Matty?" Daryl asked her.

"No" she said tearfully. Tears…Daryl still didn't handle those well with any of the women in his life, four year old Jennifer included.

"Well, if you apologize to Matty and tell him you love him, I think Santa will overlook you being mean. But you have to really mean it." Daryl told her.

"I love you" She said again, this time giving him a quick kiss and then quickly crawling out of his lap to go apologize to her brother.

Daryl smiled. He was happy that his and Merle's children and grandchildren would never know the pain and heartache that the brothers had known. The Dixon's were once known as a family of drunken losers who weren't worth a damn. Now they were a well respected family in the community known for their fairness and kindness to others. Merle, who had at one time looked like he might follow in his father's footsteps was now active in Church and the father of the Pastor. And Daryl, who had been just a shell of a human being thirty years earlier, was now a tender and loving Grandfather. He knew Alyssa played a huge part in helping him overcome his demons, but his family and extended family also helped him learn to love and trust again. They were there to support him when he felt like he was falling apart, and all these years later he never felt that fear, guilt, or insecurity that had once plagued him every moment of every day.

Life had turned out wonderfully for him, and now he felt nothing but love in his heart. He had raised two great kids, but things weren't all rosy at all times. There were arguments, and some rebellious moments by both kids, but they got through them as a family. He and Alyssa had a few rough times as well as they went through their marriage, but that was normal, and it helped both of them grow and learn to pick and choose their battles. Their marriage just continued to strengthen, and both of them were still madly in love with the other. Alyssa could still turn heads when she entered a room. She was a little plumper than she was when they met, but Daryl liked her with a little meat on her bones. He was more rugged looking in his older age. His hair was whiter now, and his face and hands were weathered, but his health was good. He had stopped smoking shortly after Katy Scarlett was born, and he himself had gained a few pounds, but Alyssa always told him he was handsome. He was pretty sure she was going blind at that point, but he wouldn't complain.

He was brought out of his thoughts when everyone rushed over to the Television and turned up the volume to watch this moment in history together. Astronaut William Anders began to speak and then he began to read from the book of Genesis, leaving a lasting impression on all that heard and watched the historic broadcast:

" _ **We are now approaching lunar sunrise, and for all the people back on Earth, the crew of Apollo 8 has a message that we would like to send to you."**_

 _ **"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.**_

 _ **And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep.**_

 _ **And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.**_

 _ **And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.**_

 _ **"And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.**_

 _ **And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.**_

 _ **And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.**_

 _ **Then another Astronaut, Frank Borman spoke:**_

 _ **And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.**_

 _ **"And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.**_

 _ **And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good."**_

 _ **"And from the crew of Apollo 8, we close with good night, good luck, a Merry Christmas – and God bless all of you, all of you on the good Earth."**_

 **The End.**

…

 **Merry Christmas to each and everyone of you. Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed this little wrap up of how life turned out for the Dixons.**

 **Thanks to each and everyone of you who took the time to leave a review, or those who endured my long hiatuses with this story. It means the world too me.**

 **Special thanks to the following for leaving a review on the last chapter.**

 **DarylDixon'sLover**

 **.2017**

 **Take Care everyone-**

 **Missy**

 **XXOO**


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